Boiled Creme Treat is an iconic dessert in Skyrim. But how about we start with what makes the treat? ie boiled cream, of course! It may be called Boiled Creme in Tamriel, but here on Earth we call this Creme Anglaise. It is a decadent topping for ice cream, cake, crepes, fruit… I could go ON AND ON about the things I would put this dreamy sauce on. Luckily for us all, it’s nearly endless. And if it wasn’t good enough there, it’s also the building block of some of my other favorite custardy desserts which I’ll share with you another day.
Step 1:
You’ll start out by combining the egg yolks and sugar. I use my homemade vanilla sugar which I make by combining baker’s sugar with my leftover vanilla pod casings and letting the flavors meld for a couple weeks before using in any recipes. But if you don’t have vanilla sugar, you’ll still get to add vanilla flavoring later on. You can feel comfortable using plain baker’s sugar if that’s all you have access to when making the recipe.
Next, you’ll whisk the egg and sugar together until it lightens. I intentionally neglected to color-correct the last two images so you could see the difference between mixed, and mixed until lightened.
Step 2:
Add the heavy cream and milk to a small sauce pan and heat on medium, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until hot but not boiling. Turn off the heat. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup or ladle, slowly pour the hot cream into the egg mixture while continuously whisking the egg mixture. This is called tempering, which brings the eggs up to temperature without cooking them hard (think scrambled egg). Continue ladling in cream slowly until you’ve added about half of the cream, then return all the mixed cream and egg back to the pan while stirring the receiving container (sauce pan).
Turn the heat back on medium-low and stir continuously until it thickens and the color becomes richer. As you drag the spoon through the sauce the ripples should become wider, slower to part, and silkier. It should also coat the back of the spoon easily. See below for a visual example:
Left: cream and eggs before thickening.
Right: creme anglaise!
Step 3:
Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Strain through a fine sieve to remove any congealed bits that have broken free from the edge of the pan. Serve right away or make up to 1 day ahead by storing in the fridge in a covered container. It makes a decadent topping to just about any sweet treat. Turn box brownies into something fancy with creme anglaise and fresh fruit, or really go all-out at every step with homemade bakes and toppings. I love making this the night before and serving over crepes with fresh peaches.
Full recipe
Ingredients:
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup super fine (baker’s) vanilla sugar (or plain sugar if you don’t have vanilla)
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Step 1:
In a medium bowl whisk together egg yolks and sugar until lightened in color. Set aside.
Stirring continuously, heat cream and milk in a medium sauce pan on medium-low heat until hot but not boiling. Turn off the heat.
Step 2:
Temper the eggs by using a 1/4 cup measuring cup or ladle, very slowly pour in the heated cream into the egg and sugar mixture while stirring the egg mixture. Continue slowly ladling in cream while still whisking the eggs until you’ve combined about half the cream. Begin stirring the cream remaining in the sauce pan and slowly pour the cream and egg mixture from the bowl into the sauce pan.
Turn the heat back to medium low, stirring constantly until the mixture is thickened and richer in color. It should easily coat the back of the spoon. Remove from heat.
Step 3.
Immediately strain the thickened creme anglaise through a fine sieve and serve right away or store in the fridge for up to 1 day.