Vanilla Custard Sauce Recipes

Steps:

• Prepare an ice-water bath; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and salt until well combined.
• Pour milk into a heavy-bottomed, nonreactive saucepan. If using the vanilla bean, scrape seeds from pod halves into the milk using the tip of a knife. Add pod halves. Place over medium heat until small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan.
• Remove from heat and slowly pour milk mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Pour mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula, until slightly thickened and coats the back of the spatula, about 5 minutes. Pour into a medium bowl and set bowl in ice water bath. Let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally. Stir in vanilla extract, if using.
• Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into another bowl, cover, and refrigerate until serving.

Steps:

• Place half and half in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep 30 minutes.
• Whisk yolks and sugar in medium bowl until thick. Whisk half and half with vanilla bean into yolk mixture 1 TBLS at a time until the eggs warm up to prevent cooking. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir custard over low heat until thickened enough to leave path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 6 minutes (do not boil). Pour into bowl. Chill uncovered until cold, about 2 hours. Then cover and chill until you use it, can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Remove vanilla bean before using - you can rinse dry it and add it to a jar of sugar for vanilla sugar.
• Note - some people like warm custard sauce over cake - just cool to your prefered temp and frig any leftovers.

Steps:

• Place whipping cream in heavy medium saucepan.
• Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean: add pod.
• Bring cream to a simmer.
• Whisk egg yolks and sugar in medium metal bowl to blend.
• Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture.
• Return mixture to saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and finger leave path when drawn across the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes (DO NOT BOIL).
• Strain.
• Cover and refrigerate custard sauce until cold, about 3 hours.
• Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.

Steps:

• In a 2-quart heavy saucepan bring 2 cups of the milk, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and the scraped vanilla bean to a boil over medium heat.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Slowly pour 1 cup of the hot milk mixture, whisking constantly, into the egg yolk-sugar mixture. (Do not pour the entire yolk-sugar mixture into the boiling milk mixture, as it will curdle the eggs.) Whisk in the remaining milk. Pour the milk-yolk mixture into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Do not boil.
• Remove from the heat and stir in the rum. Strain the mixture through a fine wire sieve into a heat--proof bowl. Place the sauce in an ice bath. When cool, transfer the sauce to a bowl. Cover the surface with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator, until ready to use. Sauce will keep in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days if well sealed.

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean to a boil over medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the empty saucepan.
• Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Pour into individual dessert dishes and chill. Chill at least 2 hours or until ready to serve. (The custard can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Cover with plastic wrap if you are keeping it longer than that.)
• Raspberry Mash: Place 1/4 of a pint of raspberries in a bowl with the sugar and mash it with the back of a fork. Toss in the remaining 1/4-pint of raspberries and gently toss to coat.
• Whip the cream with the sugar and serve on the custard and mash.

Steps:

• Pour milk into heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer. Whisk sugar and cornstarch in medium bowl until no lumps remain. Add egg; whisk until well blended. Gradually whisk hot milk mixture into egg mixture. Return to same saucepan; whisk over medium heat until sauce thickens and boils, about 5 minutes. Pour into another medium bowl. Chill until cold, stirring occasionally, about 4 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep chilled. Before serving, remove vanilla bean and whisk to loosen.)

Steps:

• Place half and half in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep 30 minutes.
• Whisk yolks and sugar in medium bowl until thick. Gradually whisk half and half with vanilla bean into yolk mixture. Return mixture to same saucepan. Stir custard over low heat until thickened enough to leave path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 6 minutes (do not boil). Pour into bowl. Chill uncovered until cold, at least 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill. Discard vanilla bean before using.

Steps:

• Bring water to boil in a small sauce pan.
• Combine sugar and cornstarch.
• Stir well.
• Add sugar mixture to boiling water.
• Reduce heat to medium, stirring constantly or until mixture thickens.
• Remove from heat.
• Add butter, vanilla, and salt.
• Stir until butter melts.

Steps:

• Pour the milk and cream into to medium-sized saucepan.
• If using vanilla bean, scrape the seeds into the pan and then add the bean itself.
• Heat the milk until bubbles appear around the edge.
• Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for 15 minutes to let the milk absorb the vanilla.
• Remove and discard the bean.
• Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla extract, if using, until light and foamy, about 3 minutes.
• Starting with a few tablespoons, very gradually stir in the hot milk.
• Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the custard starts to thicken slightly.
• Be very careful not to let the custard come to a boil or it will curdle.
• Allow the custard to cool completely and refrigerate.
• Variation: Flavor your custard with the grated zest of 1/2 lemon or orange instead of the vanilla.
• Or add a TBS or so of Grand Marnier, kirsch, or Kahlua to the finish custard.

Steps:

• Have eggs ready in a bowl, and set aside where it will be within reach.
• Using a whisk, combine milk, sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan over medium heat on stovetop. Allow milk to scald (heat to the point when tiny bubbles form around edges of pan). Whisk occasionally to prevent cornstarch from clumping on bottom edges of pan.
• Remove milk mixture from heat, preferably to a burner that's turned off.
• Mix about 2 tablespoons of scalded milk mixture into eggs using whisk, then introduce eggs into milk mixture in a slow stream, whisking milk mixture constantly.
• Immediately return pan to heat and whisk gently until custard thickens, another two or three minutes. Do not allow to boil. (If you find that you have egg white strands in custard, feel free to pass it through a fine-mesh sieve into a different bowl now.)
• Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla.

Steps:

• Place whipping cream in heavy medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add pod. Bring cream to simmer. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in medium metal bowl to blend. Gradually whisk in hot cream mixture. Return mixture to saucepan and stir over medium-low heat until custard thickens and finger leaves path when drawn across back of spoon, about 4 minutes (do not boil). Strain. Cover and refrigerate custard sauce until cold, about 3 hours. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)

Steps:

• Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan with tip of a paring knife, then add pod and half-and-half and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat.
• Whisk together eggs and sugar in a bowl until well combined, then add hot half-and-half mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Transfer custard to saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened and custard registers 175°F on thermometer, 5 to 10 minutes (do not let boil).
• Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a metal bowl, discarding solids. Set bowl in a larger bowl of ice and cold water and stir custard until cool. Chill in refrigerator, covered, until cold, at least 1 hour.

Steps:

• Bring milk and sugar to a simmer in a saucepan without stirring. Whisk yolks in a bowl until blended, then gradually whisk in hot milk mixture. Return to saucepan and cook over moderate heat, stirring constantly, until sauce thickens enough to coat back of a wooden spoon and registers 170°F. on an instant-read thermometer.
• Immediately pour sauce through a fine sieve into a metal bowl and place bowl in a large bowl of ice and cold water. Stir in vanilla and whisk custard occasionally until cool, then cover surface with a piece of wax paper to prevent a skin from forming.
• Chill until cold.

Steps:

• In a heavy saucepan over low heat, cook and stir milk and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Remove from the heat. Stir in a small amount of hot milk mixture into eggs; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until mixture reaches 160° or is thick enough to coat a metal spoon., Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Cool to room temperature, stirring several times. Transfer to a bowl; press a piece of waxed paper or plastic wrap on top of custard. Refrigerate. Serve over gingerbread or pound cake.