English Cream
- Gluten Free
- Vegetarian
- Energy Kcal 360
- Carbohydrates g 31.7
- of which sugars g 31.7
- Protein g 9.6
- Fats g 21.7
- of which saturated fat g 10.14
- Fiber g 0.8
- Cholesterol mg 506
- Sodium mg 372
- Difficulty: Average
- Prep time: 10 min
- Cook time: 15 min
- Serving: 4
- Cost: Low
- Note plus cooling time
PRESENTATION
English cream is a classic dessert with a delicate taste and velvety texture; unlike custard, English cream does not contain flour; therefore it is more fluid and is an excellent sauce to serve (even warm) in a cup, accompanied for example by cat tongues, which you can prepare with the egg whites used in the recipe. And for the more gluttonous, this cream is also perfect to accompany mug cake or leavened pastries like Easter dove and panettone. But English cream is not just this, in fact, it is one of the most used bases in pastry to prepare many desserts such as chocolate mousse, ice creams or semifreddos!
- INGREDIENTS
- Whole milk 1.4 cups (330 g)
- Fresh liquid cream 6 oz (170 g)
- Egg yolks 5 oz (140 g) - (about 8)
- Vanilla bean 1
- Lemon peel 1 - untreated
- Sugar ½ cup (100 g)
- Fine salt 1 pinch
How to prepare English Cream
To prepare English cream, first, cut a vanilla bean, extract the seeds 1, and set them aside. Then pour milk and cream into a saucepan 2, add the pod without the seeds 3
and the grated zest of a lemon 4. Place on the stove 5 and bring the milk just to the boiling point. Transfer the slightly beaten egg yolks to another saucepan 6,
add the vanilla seeds 7 and the sugar 8. Stir gently with a spatula, trying not to incorporate air, and also add the salt 9.
Stir again, always very slowly, until you get a homogeneous cream 10. As soon as the milk and cream start to boil, strain them directly into the saucepan with the yolk mixture 11, so as to retain the pod. Stir always with the spatula 12
and bring the cream back to the heat 13. Continue to stir slowly to avoid incorporating air, until you reach a temperature of 180°F. The most important thing is not to exceed 185°F. If you do not have a kitchen thermometer, just immerse a spoon in it; if, when you take it out, the cream coats the back, it means it is ready. Strain it again into a clean bowl 15 to stop the cooking.
To speed up cooling, place the bowl inside another larger bowl with ice. As soon as it is no longer hot, cover with cling film in contact 17 and let it cool completely in the refrigerator before serving and enjoying 18.