How to make English cream

How to make English cream.

The English cream or crème anglaise is a preparation that is widely used in pastry as a base or complement to many recipes to prepare desserts , fillings, ice creams , etc.

It is a very simple cream to make, with very basic ingredients, although it has some peculiarities to leave it at its optimum point.

It is similar to the pastry cream , with which it coincides in its ingredients, except that the English one does not have flour. They differ in that the English cream is lighter, softer, and does not boil in the manufacturing process.

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Its applications in confectionery are numerous, highlighting that it is the basis for preparing ice creams and a wide variety of sweet creams .

It has a curious history, since in its origins back in the 19th century it was called ” French cream “. Later in the English court, the chef Auguste Escoffier polished the recipe and from then on it was renamed “English cream”. A cream similar to this is also the well-known Italian “Sabayón” , which is made with egg yolks, sugar and wine.

Using this delicious cream, on the blog we have prepared some eggs in the snow with English cream , a delicate dessert with which you will take note at home.

As a base for desserts you can also find the traditional pastry cream, lemon cream or lemon curd or the famous Catalan cream . They are part of the ABC of baking, anywhere in the world.

Preparation of flavored milk

1. We put the milk to heat in a saucepan, which will take temperature.
2. We open the vanilla bean lengthwise, with the help of a knife. We scrape the seeds from inside and add them to the milk. Then we also add the pod. In this way the milk will be flavored.   
3. The milk has to be heated, until it almost boils. At this time we remove from the heat, and let it rest, while the vanilla is infused.

Preparation of English cream

1. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks. We gradually add the sugar, and continue beating. Until we have a homogeneous cream.
2. To this cream, we first add a little milk (about 100 ml.) And mix with some rods. When they have fused, add the rest of the milk, removing the vanilla bean beforehand.
3. We pass the set to the saucepan and put at medium / low temperature (a 4 out of 10). It is important that it never boil, otherwise the cream would be cut. We keep stirring incessantly. Little by little the cream will thicken slightly.
4. After about 5 minutes, the cream will be light and smooth. The optimal point is when on the back of a spoon or spatula, we pass the finger and the fence is perfectly marked.
5. Once ready, we put our English cream in the fridge, so that it rests there for at least a couple of hours.
6. Ideally, we should make it the day before, which will later have the desired texture. With the cold it will mature, taking consistency and enhancing its flavor.  

If you still do not have it clear, I leave you a step by step in photos of this recipe for English cream . Do not miss any detail and it will be perfect.

Tips for a perfect English cream

• The ideal temperature for its elaboration, once it is out of the fire, is 83º – 84ºC. Almost at the boiling point. If you have a kitchen thermometer, it is a good time to take advantage of it.
• Another technique that can be used is to place the bowl with the cream, in a water bath with cold water, and there begin to stir and generate the consistency we want. In this way we lower the temperature and manage to control the production point.
• We can use a vanilla bean but we can also flavor it with citrus, lemon or orange peel. Always at the beginning of the recipe, when we flavor the milk.
• English cream is the basis for other desserts. Placing them in glasses or glasses, and on it we can accompany with meringue , whipped cream , red fruits, caramelized fruits, “drunk” cakes, etc.
• It is also perfect for making ice creams , using it as a base. We would put the English cream in the freezer, about 30 minutes. We mount the cream lightly (in this case 100 ml.) And mix with the cream. We put it back in the freezer, removing every 30 minutes and removing the whole set. We repeat the process at least 3 times. Then we cover with a film and let freeze.