Chef Juliette
Crème Anglaise
Crème anglaise turns milk, yolks, sugar, and vanilla into a silken sauce that veils the spoon. Stir gently, stop before the boil, and you hold the mother of the sweet-sauce family.
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Hazel-nut Sauce
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 2413, Hazel-nut Sauce, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Sauce aux Noisettes turns crème anglaise into a deep hazelnut sauce by two acts alone: toast the nuts until fragrant, then steep them fully before stirring in measured filbert Pralin (No. 2352).
Sauces & Condiments
French
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
Make Ahead
25 min
Active Time
35 min cook•1 hr 45 min total
YieldAbout 2 quarts (1.9 liters)
Sauce aux Noisettes teaches the quiet power of infusion. Hazelnuts merely stirred into finished custard taste added; hazelnuts toasted until their aroma fills the kitchen, then left to steep in milk, make the whole sauce taste born of the nut. It should fall from a spoon in an ivory ribbon, glossy and deeply roasted, never gritty.
The original entry assumed crème anglaise waiting at the saucier's elbow, hazelnuts grilled under a salamander, and Pralin (No. 2352) prepared in quantity by the pastry section. At home, a rimmed baking sheet replaces the salamander, one saucepan builds the custard, and a fine sieve finishes the infusion. That brigade scaffolding can go. The dish cannot: toasted-nut infusion first, then two tablespoonfuls of Pralin (No. 2352) for each quart of custard. This batch keeps that ratio and scales the work to about two quarts for one cook, one stove, one evening.
The one step that decides it happens before the yolks meet heat. Toast the hazelnuts to old gold, stopping the moment they smell like the finished sauce. Pale nuts give the milk a polite whisper; blackened nuts give bitterness no sugar can hide.
Sauce aux Noisettes belongs to the entremets course of the French classical table, not to a single regional larder: it is a derivative of crème anglaise built in pastry kitchens and served with puddings, fruit, cakes, and soufflés. The English-custard wording points to crème anglaise, the French stirred yolk custard, while Pralin (No. 2352) means dry pounded nougat powder rather than the smooth nut paste sold under a similar name. Its passage from pastry bench to home table is natural, because infusion, gentle custard cooking, and measured pralin require attention rather than brigade equipment.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
shelled skin-on hazelnuts
Quantity
2½ cups (590 ml / 340 g)
whole milk
Quantity
7½ cups (1.8 L / 1.85 kg)
divided
large egg yolks
Quantity
16
caster sugar
Quantity
1½ cups (360 ml / 300 g)
Pralin
Quantity
¼ cup (4 tablespoons / 60 ml / 40 g) Pralin (No. 2352)
nougat-powder form prepared with filberts
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| shelled skin-on hazelnuts | 2½ cups (590 ml / 340 g) |
| whole milkdivided | 7½ cups (1.8 L / 1.85 kg) |
| large egg yolks | 16 |
| caster sugar | 1½ cups (360 ml / 300 g) |
| Pralinnougat-powder form prepared with filberts | ¼ cup (4 tablespoons / 60 ml / 40 g) Pralin (No. 2352) |
Equipment Needed
- •Rimmed baking sheet
- •3-quart heavy saucepan
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Heatproof spatula
- •Instant-read thermometer
- •Immersion blender
- •Large bowl for an ice bath
Instructions
- 1
Toast the hazelnuts
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread the hazelnuts in one layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 12 to 16 minutes, shaking the sheet once, until the exposed flesh is old gold and the kitchen smells distinctly of roasted hazelnuts. This is the step that makes the sauce; colour brings flavour. Rub away the loose dark skins in a clean towel, then crush the warm nuts coarsely so the milk can reach their cut surfaces.
One pale nut can return to the oven. A blackened one cannot be sweetened back into good behaviour, so discard any that have burned. - 2
Build the infusion
Put 7 cups (1.65 L) of the milk and the crushed hazelnuts in a heavy saucepan. Bring them slowly to the point where small bubbles gather around the edge, then remove the pan from the heat, cover it, and steep for 45 minutes. Pass the milk through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, pressing the nuts gently but not forcing their pulp through. Add enough reserved milk to restore the strained infusion to 7 cups (1.65 L).
- 3
Temper the yolks
Return the infused milk to the clean saucepan and heat it until bubbles again gather at the edge. Whisk the yolks and sugar in a large bowl just until smooth and slightly lightened, without beating in a mass of air. Pour one-third of the hot milk over the yolks in a slow stream while whisking constantly, then whisk this tempered mixture back into the remaining milk.
- 4
Cook the crème anglaise
Cook over low heat, stirring continuously with a heatproof spatula and sweeping the floor and corners of the pan. Stop when the crème anglaise reaches 180 to 183°F (82 to 84°C), coats the spatula, and holds a clean line when you draw a finger through it. Never let it boil. If the first fine grains appear, remove the pan immediately and whisk in 2 tablespoons of cold reserved milk. Ça se rattrape: blend for 10 seconds and pass it through the fine sieve. Large, firm scrambled curds mean the eggs have gone too far, and an honest sauce must be restarted.
- 5
Add the Pralin
Strain the warm custard into a clean bowl and measure it before finishing. The book's proportion is exact: two tablespoonfuls of Pralin (No. 2352) for every quart of custard. This batch should give about 2 quarts, so whisk in the full ¼ cup (4 tablespoons / 60 ml / 40 g) until evenly dispersed. If small lumps remain, blend briefly and strain once more. The finished sauce should nap the spoon in a smooth, glossy ribbon; if it tightens too far, loosen it with reserved milk one tablespoon at a time.
- 6
Serve or chill
For warm service, bring the Sauce aux Noisettes to the table at once or hold it over barely warm water for no longer than 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. For cold service, set the bowl over an ice bath and stir until cool before covering and refrigerating. Whisk gently before serving with poached pears, plain cakes, puddings, or a warm soufflé. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Buy raw hazelnuts and toast them yourself. Pre-roasted nuts often taste tired, and this sauce has nowhere to hide a stale one.
- •Use the nougat-powder form of Pralin (No. 2352), prepared with filberts as the sauce requires. Smooth commercial praline paste contains more fat and changes both the sweetness and the flowing texture.
- •A thermometer is useful, but the spoon tells the same truth: properly cooked crème anglaise coats it evenly and keeps a sharp track where your finger passes.
- •Serve the sauce warm with soufflés and plain butter cakes, or chilled with poached pears and baked custards. Its roasted flavour needs a quiet companion, not another elaborate sauce.
Advance Preparation
- •Prepare the filbert Pralin (No. 2352) according to its own entry and keep it tightly closed in a dry place until needed.
- •The hazelnut-infused milk can be made one day ahead. Strain it, cool it promptly, and refrigerate it in a covered container before cooking the crème anglaise.
- •The finished Sauce aux Noisettes keeps for up to 3 days under refrigeration. Press parchment or reusable wrap against the surface, then whisk gently before serving. Do not freeze it, because the custard may separate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 65g)
Calories
120 calories
Total Fat
6 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
4 g
Cholesterol
100 mg
Sodium
25 mg
Total Carbohydrates
13 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
13 g
Protein
3 g
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