Dessert, Mastered: Michel Roux’s Minted Crème Anglaise

The freshness of this mint-flavoured custard goes brilliantly with all berries. It is also excellent with chocolate ice cream or my chocolate truffle cake with candied kumquats.

Makes about 750ml (6-8 servings)

Ingredients
500ml milk
125g caster sugar
75g mint leaves and stalks, coarsely chopped
6 egg yolks

Method
Put the milk in a saucepan with two-thirds of the sugar and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Add the mint, take the pan off the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 10 minutes.

In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and the remaining sugar to a light ribbon consistency. Bring the milk just back to the boil, then pour on to the egg yolks, whisking continuously. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan. Cook over a low heat, stirring all the time with a wooden spatula or spoon until the custard lightly coats the back of the spatula.

Immediately pass the crème anglaise through a chinois into a bowl and set aside until completely cold, stirring occasionally with a spatula to prevent a skin forming. Once cold, cover with cling film and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days until ready to use.

Extracted from Eggs by Michel Roux (Quadrille, approx €20). Photography © Martin Brigdale.