Vanilla Custard Sauce (Creme Anglaise)

Preparation

1. Step 1

   In a saucepan, combine the milk and vanilla bean and bring just to a boil. Remove from the heat, cover and allow to sit 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the yolks, sugar and salt until thick and light-colored, and set aside.

2. Step 2

   Discard the vanilla bean and very slowly whisk the hot milk into the yolk mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan, set over medium-low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the custard thickens just enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 10 minutes. (Do not overcook or the custard will curdle.)

3. Step 3

   Immediately remove from the heat and strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl. Serve warm or chilled. (If necessary, rewarm the sauce in the top of a double boiler set over barely simmering water.)