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    Home » All Recipes

    Crème Anglaise with Bourbon Sauce

    Published: Oct 31, 2023 · Modified: Jan 29, 2025 by Jason Miller · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Crème Anglaise with Bourbon Sauce - This classic dessert sauce with the addition of the smoky flavor of Kentucky bourbon is easy and versatile. It can go with almost any sweet dish, be churned into ice cream, as well as on it's own with fruit garnish.

    crème anglaise sauce being poured from a small porcelain pitcher on top of berries in a bowl

    We highly suggest pairing this bourbon sauce with our Croissant Bread Pudding, as the sweet vanilla flavor and velvety smooth texture contrast the dried cherries and butterscotch in it.

    Jump to:
    • Crème Anglaise Basics
    • Easy Strawberry & Cream Mug Cake Recipe
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Variations
    • Storage
    • Chef tip
    • More Inspiration
    • Bake Shop
    • Recipe

    Crème Anglaise Basics

    French sauces with fancy sounding names can seem very intimidating to many folks. Throw in egg yolks as a thickening agent, and the whole project can start to seem downright scary. Allow us to walk you through the basics, and we're sure that you will agree that this doesn't have to be the case!

    Let's just look at what crème anglaise sauce really is. "English cream", as it is literally translated from the French, is a custard. Custards are simply egg thickened, cream or milk-based dishes. Puddings, (in all of their forms), crème brulee, and even ice cream are custards. If you make anglaise and freeze it with an ice cream churn, "voila! "you have ice cream.

    If you've ever payed close attention to eggs in a pan, I'm sure that you've noticed that there comes a point where the yolk starts to thicken, right before it becomes solid. Getting the egg right to that point and then stopping the cooking by chilling is all that we are doing here. Being prepared and following some simple steps will get you there!

    ***For some in depth info about creme anglaise, check out the wiki for it right here.

    Strawberry and cream mug cake in a mug with a spoon.

    Newest Recipe!

    Easy Strawberry & Cream Mug Cake Recipe

    Fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream combine to make this easy strawberry mug cake recipe the perfect little treat for anytime of the year. However, spring is strawberry season, when strawberries are perfectly ripe, sweet, and delicious! 

    Get the recipe →Strawberry & Cream Mug Cake

    Ingredients

    • Egg yolks - These will form the binder for this classic sauce.
    • Sugar - White granulated sugar is best.
    • Cream - The high fat content of heavy cream, or "whipping cream", is called for here.
    • Bourbon - It wouldn't be bourbon sauce without the whiskey, right? While we don't suggest using your best single barrel expression for this, (save that for sipping!), it really can't be the cheapest stuff, either. Look for the median price, and the actual name "bourbon", not just whiskey.
    • Vanilla - This recipe calls for whole vanilla beans. This is the best way to get the fullest flavor, but a good quality extract or paste can also be used. See the "Variations" section below.

    See recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    Step One - Prepare the Yolks

    eggs in a mixing bowl with a wire whip resting in them

    Separate the egg yolks into a stainless bowl, reserving the whites for another recipe.

    mixing egg yolks with sugar using a wire whip for bourbon sauce

    Whisk them together with the sugar until well combined.

    Step Two - Steep the Cream and Combine

    cream heating over a flame in a saucepan

    Put the split and scraped vanilla bean, bourbon, and cream together in a saucepan. Heat until you achieve a low simmer, then turn it off and let it sit for a minute or so to steep.

    whipping together the cream and yolk mixtures for bourbon sauce

    Pour hot cream mixture into bowl of eggs and sugar, stirring rapidly and constantly to combine.

    Step Three - Thicken Bourbon Sauce

    cream being poured from a mixing bowl into a saucepan

    Immediately return to saucepan.

    cream sauce being stirred in a saucepan with a spatula

    Stir constantly with a heat proof rubber spatula while gently heating over low flame. Remove from heat when sauce is thick enough to coat the spatula without running off.

    Step Four - Strain and Chill

    cream being poured through a conical seive

    Pour sauce into a stainless mixing bowl, straining through a fine mesh strainer.

    finished sauce in a mixing bowl resting on ice with a spatula resting inside

    Rapidly cool over an ice bath while stirring gently with the spatula.

    Variations

    We are great fans of the bourbon sauce version that we used here, but crème anglaise is as versatile as it is easy!

    • Classic - omitting the liquor from this recipe will yield the classic, vanilla flavored sauce
    • Orange - adding Grand Marnier in place of the bourbon, and toss a little orange zest into the cream to steep
    • Coffee - substituting Kahlua for the bourbon will give this sauce a lovely coffee bean flavor

    Storage

    When tightly sealed in the refrigerator, this sauce should stay fresh and tasty for up to five days.

    Unless you churn this sauce into ice cream, it will separate in the freezer.

    Chef tip

    Hesitation is your biggest enemy here! If you stop stirring or pouring while working with egg yolks, this is when they will seize up and curdle. Moving rapidly from one step to the next will reward you with great results.

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    See more Bake Shop →

    Recipe

    crème anglaise sauce being poured from a small porcelain pitcher on top of berries in a bowl

    Crème Anglaise with Bourbon Sauce

    Christine Miller
    This classic dessert sauce with the addition of the smoky flavor of Kentucky Bourbon is easy and versatile.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes mins
    Cook Time 12 minutes mins
    Total Time 32 minutes mins
    Course Dessert, Ingredient, sauce
    Cuisine American, British, French
    Servings 3 cups

    Equipment

    • 2 large mixing bowls
    • 1 fine mesh strainer
    • 1 Cutting Board
    • 1 small paring knife if you are using whole vanilla beans, you will need a knife and a cutting board to split the beans.
    • 1 4 quart sauce pan
    • 1 Rubber Spatula
    • 1 liquid measuring cup
    • 1 wire whip/whisk

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 pint Heavy Cream
    • ½ cup Granulated sugar
    • 5 large Egg Yolks
    • 1 whole Vanilla Bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, or ½ teaspoon vanilla paste
    • 1 oz Kentucky Bourbon see the notes above regarding the best choice for Bourbon.
    Get Recipe Ingredients

    Instructions
     

    • Separate the eggs into a large mixing bowl, using the yolks for this recipe and saving the whites for another time
    • Making sure you have everything you need for this recipe ready before you start is very important for your success
    • Pour the cream into the sauce pan and add the split vanilla bean or vanilla extract (or vanilla paste) and the bourbon, and place over medium heat
    • Add the sugar to the egg yolks and whisk vigorously until smooth. Set the egg mixture aside and place ice into the second large mixing bowl with a cup of water, creating an ice bath, placing it aside for the final straining and cooling steps (having this ice bath ready to go is extremely important)
    • When the cream comes to a simmer, let it sit for 2 minutes so you infuse the vanilla flavors
    • Pour the heated cream mixture into the egg and sugar mixture, do not hesitate it is important that you work quickly to prevent the mixture from curdling, whisk the mixture together
    • Return the mixture to the sauce pan, using the rubber spatula to scrape the bowl. Place the empty bowl on the ice bath with the strainer near by, getting ready to quickly strain the finished sauce into the bowl that is set in the ice bath
    • Place the pan over medium to high heat, and stir continuously until the mixture begins to thicken (it will start to roll away from the sides of the pan, and coat the rubber spatula)
    • Quickly remove the pan from the heat, and holding the strainer over the bowl that is set on the ice bath pour the thickened mixture through the strainer (this will remove any cooked egg as well as the spent vanilla beans) into the bowl.
    • Stir the completed sauce keeping it on the ice bath, until it is completely cool, then pour over your favorite dessert or fresh fruit and enjoy!

    Notes

    This Creme Anglaise can be made ahead and stored in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. See the post above for creative ideas for variations of this recipe.
    Keyword bourbon, creme anglaise, Easy, sauce, vanilla, vanilla sauce

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    Comments

    1. Jason Miller says

      December 02, 2023 at 4:18 pm

      5 stars
      classic dessert sauce

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