Crème anglaise - a vanilla cream

Split the vanilla bean in its length, and put it in the milk in a saucepan.
Put the milk to boil, stirring occasionally (whisk or spatula) to prevent it from sticking.

Meanwhile :
Put the sugar in a cul-de-poule.
Separate the whites from the yolks of the eggs, putting the yolks in the cul-de-poule. (Whites are not used in this recipe).
Mix the yolks and the sugar. Whisk vigorously until blanching (it may take several minutes).

Pour in the boiled milk while continuing to whisk vigorously (but don't use a mixer so that it does not foam).

Prepare a large container and cool it by soaking it in a cold water bath (you can put some ice cubes in the water).

Put the mixture back in the saucepan.
Cook over medium heat stirring CONSTANTLY with a spatula scraping the bottom until boiling and obtaining the desired texture.
At the first sign of a boil, remove from the heat (the cream should have a texture that coats the back of a spoon), and pour the cream into the cold container (to stop cooking).
Continue to "vanner" (stir) for a few minutes (cooking shall totally stop).

Then recover the 1/2 beans and, using the back of a knife, scrape the grains to put them in the cream. (Then throw the pods).
If you notice some lumps, you can "cheat" and mix a bit the cream with a blender.

Cover and store in the refrigerator.

Enjoy it cold after 1 night in the fridge (but not too much, take it out of the fridge 30 min in advance).
Can also be enjoyed lukewarm.

Note: This custard, further stirred during cooling, is the basis of ice-creams.

Is this cream originally English? There is some controversy. Spread 1 tbsp. cold water in the saucepan before adding the milk to boil it (it will prevent it from sticking) but nevertheless do stir the milk from time to time during heating.
You can replace the vanilla pod with a coffee extract (or 2 expressos ristretto), or some praline, or unsalted pistachios… and got other excellent custards. With the egg white, prepare a panna cotta (see our recipe).
The cream can be kept in a bottle (takes less space in the fridge and you can shake it before serving).