Vanilla Sauce

Vanilla sauce is a classic sweet accompaniment that pairs wonderfully with many desserts, such as puddings, cakes, and fresh fruit. Here is the recipe to make homemade vanilla sauce.

Ingredients

• 250 ml of whole milk
• 1 vanilla bean
• 3 egg yolks
• 50 g of granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cornstarch (optional, for thickening)

Preparation

1. Slit the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with the tip of a knife.
2. In a saucepan, heat the milk with the slit vanilla bean and the scraped seeds. Bring almost to a boil, then turn off the heat and let it infuse for about 15 minutes so that the milk is flavored.
3. In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar until you have a light and fluffy mixture.
4. If you desire a thicker sauce, you can dissolve a teaspoon of cornstarch in a little cold milk and add it to the egg and sugar mixture.
5. Remove the vanilla bean from the milk and heat the milk up again to a warm temperature (it should not boil).
6. Slowly pour the warm milk over the egg yolk and sugar mixture, stirring constantly so as not to curdle the eggs.
7. Transfer everything back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
8. Be careful not to let the mixture boil, or the eggs might coagulate.
9. Once the sauce has reached the desired consistency, remove from heat and let it cool. If lumps form, you can strain it through a fine sieve.

If you like, you can further flavor the sauce by adding, at the end of cooking, a sweet liqueur such as amaretto or rum, which pairs very well with vanilla.

Curiosity

The vanilla used in this recipe is a precious and highly aromatic spice, derived from the pods of an orchid flower native to Mexico. Its use in cooking is much appreciated for the delicate fragrance and ability to enhance the flavors of sweets.