Recipe Review: Vegan Crème Anglaise
Recipe reviews can be the slowest, most rewarding research projects. After painstakingly selecting around half a dozen formulae to try, I study each of them to diminish any chance of user error.
long posts? I read them multiple times. recipe notes? those too. videos? I watch and rewatch them. Then, I gather ingredients from various sources to avoid substitutions, and record both quantitative and qualitative data (including pictures) before, during, and after execution.
All this leads to developing my own recipe which sparks another network of testing! But it’s worth it. In fact, if I had to compile a portfolio, it would contain at least some of the formulae I’ve developed following a recipe review. The following is a sweet selection:
Why test vegan crème anglaise?
In the US, crème anglaise doesn’t seem to be the staple it is in the UK and Central Europe. Yet it’s more ubiquitous here than one might think! Depending on the specifics of preparation, crème anglaise may appear as egg nog, pudding, pastry cream, ice cream…
I craved a foundational recipe for vegan crème anglaise in order to unlock the plant-based door to this world of traditionally dairy-based desserts.
The Recipes
Four vegan crème anglaise recipes looked positively irresistible! Each offers a detailed post, numerous pictures, and troubleshooting information.
From three of them, I uncovered qualities I want in my own recipe (coming soon). One, however, was so repugnant I left it unnamed. I want to give you honest reviews without jeopardizing the reputation of a fellow blogger. This realm is challenging enough!
The Unnamed Dud
A guest publication for crème anglaise made with tofu exists on a famous blog. Written by an author other than the blogger, this recipe replaces refined sugar as well as dairy and eggs.
It was my wild card inclusion. While other recipes are basically variations of plant-based milk, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and heat, this formula uses silken tofu, arrowroot starch, and apple juice concentrate.
And not for the better. Every picture of this recipe suggests such a luscious dessert sauce, I could not ignore the pull to try something so different…
until I saw it. The acidic apple juice irreversibly curdled the basic tofu creating a grainy mixture in the face of my high-speed blender. “Maybe the arrowroot slurry and heat will help,” I reasoned hopefully.
It did not. Besides, even if they did smooth the chunky texture, they were powerless against the flavor of apple juice-sweetened soy beans. This gloppy product regrettably reminded me of the conventional diner concoctions I used to make as a bored kid with tiny cups of half-and-half.
Perle en Sucre
Even before thickening “Crème anglaise sans oeufs {vegan}”, I felt annoyed that Laurianne Pao of Perle en Sucre had me steep a vanilla bean overnight. All other recipes herein are quick!
I nevertheless felt compelled to include a renowned French blogger’s vegan recipe for a French dessert sauce. Unfortunately, the long wait Pao recommends does little to amplify flavor.
I appreciate her clear instructions for thickening though!
Laissez-la bouillir environ une minute tout en continuant de fouetter constamment.
In translation, allow to boil about a minute while continuing to whisk constantly. Voilà! Too many other developers offer comparatively nebulous targets such as “until it thickens” or “until you have a smooth, thick custard”.
Regrettably, the end result of Pao’s recipe is also too thin. It pours like Pagot’s (below) – Both are less than 5% cornstarch:”milk”. – but isn’t as rich in vanilla.
full of plants
Upon tasting “Vegan Crème Anglaise” by full of plants author Thomas Pagot, I instantly thought, “This tastes like ice cream!”
And that’s not a complaint. Ina Garten famously serves her cherry clafoutis with a crème anglaise hack: melted vanilla ice cream. She reasons, since most “good” ice creams are churned and frozen crèmes anglaises, you don’t necessarily have to make it from scratch.
I stress “necessarily” because you might want to. As the temperature of our food decreases, so does our taste buds’ ability to detect sweetness. Ice cream and other cold preparations are consequently over-sweetened before chilling and serving.
This phenomenon works in reverse: As the temperature of our food increases, so does our taste buds’ ability to detect sweetness. A perfectly sweetened ice cream, therefore, may seem cloying once thawed.
A little extra sugar can be exquisite alongside something like tart cherries. Hack away if your dish will benefit from some balance! Yet for a more versatile crème anglaise recipe, Pagot’s 14% ratio of sugar:“milk” is too high.
His 3% cornstarch ratio, meanwhile, is too low. The perfect crème anglaise sits in a textural world between free-flowing and accumulating: it pours in a single stream, but creates opaque puddles wherever it lands. Pagot’s disappears.
He hit a Goldilocks ratio though! While I hope to leave behind his use of expensive vanilla beans, I am taking from Pagot’s formula his delectable concentration of vanilla flavor.
A Virtual Vegan
“Vegan Custard” by Melanie McDonald of A Virtual Vegan is nearly the recipe I desire. However concerningly yellow in color from ⅛ tsp (0.63 mL) turmeric, it’s velvety in texture from 2 Tbsp (30 mL/28 g) “butter”, and balanced in taste from ¼ tsp (1.25 mL) salt.
Yet ½ cup (120 mL/60 mL) cornstarch created a lumpy mixture despite continuous and vigorous whisking. It also formed a custard that only poured when hot; pouring cold was not an option.
It should be though! Cold crème anglaise atop a hot fruit dessert is a classic combination. Yet upon chilling, McDonald’s formula becomes pudding.
Her instructions give me pause as well. Over medium-low heat, she writes that her recipe takes about 10 minutes to thicken enough to coat the back of a spoon. While variations in equipment may be to blame, I was surprised that 25 minutes passed before I could detect any change in consistency.
Conclusion
Among the three named creators, I found a winner for technique, flavor, and texture. My own vegan crème anglaise recipe (coming soon) showcases each of the following discoveries alongside some variations I developed while testing it.
Technique
“Crème anglaise sans oeufs {vegan}” by Laurianne Pao of Perle en Sucre
Pao’s undeniable targets for thickening her mixture melt any anxiety that comes from not knowing when to remove it from heat. This traditional method of using cornstarch – In short, boil for one minute. – is worth adopting not only for accessibility, but also consistent results.
Flavor
“Vegan Crème Anglaise” by Thomas Pagot of full of plants
Pagot convinced me to use vanilla beans. I made an economic change to vanilla bean paste with an invitation to use pure vanilla extract instead. After all, whole vanilla beans are costly, and “budget” store brand ones tend to be brittle.
Texture
“Vegan Custard” by Melanie McDonald of A Virtual Vegan
McDonald proves “butter” is necessary to replicate the mouthfeel of conventional, egg-thickened crème anglaise.
Perhaps I should’ve trusted a British blogger from the start! (Despite its French moniker, “crème anglaise” means “English custard”.) A little more vanilla and a little less cornstarch, in combination with Pao’s technique, essentially turns her recipe into my ideal formula (coming soon).
