CRÈME ANGLAISE

This vanilla custard is light and lush with its speckles of real vanilla seeds. Traditionally, the only thickening ingredient is egg yolk, but I add a spoonful of cornflour to make it more stable and prevent it from curdling.

Makes about 600ml • Preparation: 10 minutes • Cooking time: 10 minutes

• 500ml full-cream milk • 3ml vanilla seeds*

• 80ml castor sugar • 5 egg yolks • 5ml cornflour

1 Heat the milk and vanilla seeds in a saucepan until just before the milk reaches boiling point.

2 Beat the castor sugar, egg yolks and cornflour until light and fluffy. Gradually beat the hot milk into the egg mixture until combined – this prevents the eggs from curdling. Pour everything back into the saucepan and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon over low heat. The custard will thicken slightly and coat the back of a spoon when it’s done. (Draw a line across the spoon with your finger – if the line remains visible, the custard is ready.)

3 Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and allow to cool; stir frequently to prevent a skin from forming on top. Refrigerate until needed.

* TIPS FOR USING A VANILLA POD

• Choose soft pods with a full, rich aroma. A fresh pod feels slightly oily and sometimes has fine crystals on one end. Wrap the vanilla pod in cling film and store it in an airtight container.

• When you want to use it, cut the vanilla pod open lengthwise with a sharp knife and scrape out the seeds. You can soak both the seeds and the pod in milk or cream when making custard as the entire pod is full of flavour. Rinse the pod after removing it from the cream and allow to dry. It can’t be used again since most of the flavour has been extracted, but place it in your sugar container to add a mild vanilla flavour.