Brandy & Vanilla Custard
This brandy & vanilla custard is incredibly creamy, pleasantly boozy & full of flavour. The perfect accompaniment to a homemade Christmas pudding!
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If you’re looking for the perfect sauce to serve with your Christmas pudding then you’re in the right place!
Here, we’ve taken a classic English custard & flavoured it with plenty of brandy, vanilla & orange zest. Inspired by a traditional brandy butter, this homemade custard is fantastic with Christmas puddings, mince pies, thick slices of toasted panettone & loads more. Plus it’s incredibly easy to make & only uses a handful of ingredients.
For more festive cooking inspiration, take a look at our collection of Christmas recipes! There’s all the classics here, from mince pies & stollen to everything you need to make the ultimate Christmas dinner.
What You’ll Need
- Milk & Cream – We’re using whole milk & double (heavy) cream, which gives our custard a richer flavour.
- Vanilla – A good quality vanilla works best for this custard & a little goes a long way! I used half a vanilla pod but a teaspoon of vanilla paste will work as well.
- Brandy – You can use pretty much whatever brandy you like to flavour your custard with. Or you could use amaretto or rum.
- Sugar – We’re using caster sugar for sweetness. If you’d like a more caramelised flavour, use light brown sugar instead.
- Salt – Adding a good pinch of sea salt to the custard imrpoves the flavour.
- Cornflour – Used to thicken the custard. The amount used in the recipe makes a custard that’s thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Feel free to add in more if you’d prefer a thicker sauce.
How To Make Brandy & Vanilla Custard
The full, printable recipe card for this custard can be found at the bottom of this post! Here’s a quick rundown of the recipe…
- Warm Milk & Vanilla
First, we place whole milk & double cream into a pan with sugar, a pinch of salt, the zest of an orange & half a vanilla pod with the seeds scraped out (add in both the pod & seeds!). We then set the pan over a low heat & let the milk get steaming hot (but not boiling). - Temper Eggs
Whilst the milk is warming up, we place egg yolks, cornflour & sugar into a mixing bowl then whisk until smooth & combined. Then once the milk is warm, we slowly pour half of it into the yolks, whisking constantly as we do so. This is called tempering the eggs & helps prevent them from scrambling - Cook To Thicken
Next, we pour the tempered yolks into the pan of milk then cook the custard over a low heat until it reaches a temperature of 82°c/180°f, making sure to stir it constantly. A digital food probe comes in handy here. If you haven’t got one, the custard is ready when it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. - Stir In Brandy
Once cooked, we take the custard off the heat then stir in brandy. - Pass Through A Sieve
Finally, we pass the brandy custard into a jug, through a sieve then serve. Alternatively, we can let the custard cool then store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Tips & Tricks
- Use whole milk & double cream, to give your custard the richest flavour.
- Flavour your custard with good quality vanilla. Either half a pod or a teaspoon of paste.
- To avoid curdling the custard, cook it over a gentle heat & stir it constantly with a spatula.
- Pass the custard through a sieve once it’s cooked, for a smoother finish.
- Cook the custard until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If you take the temperature of the custard with a food probe, it will reach 82°c/180°f once cooked.
Frequently Asked Questions
To cook custard on an Aga, use the simmering plate to both warm the milk & cook the custard.
If you’d prefer a thicker custard, add in extra cornflour. Make sure not to add in too much cornflour though as this can make the custard powdery.
To give our custard the best brandy flavour, we add the brandy in once the custard is fully cooked, to avoid cooking off the alcohol.
Yes, brandy custard can be made in advance & will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure to cover the surface of the custard with baking parchment/clingfilm as it cools, to prevent a skin forming on top.
To avoid scrambling the eggs in your brandy custard, it’s best to reheat it over a low heat, stirring frequently. You can also reheat custard in a microwave in 20 second bursts, stirring it between bursts.
Equipment Used
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More Desserts To Try!
- Banana Sticky Toffee Pudding With Miso Caramel
- Blackberry, Pear & Apple Crumble
- Cake Crumb Treacle Tart
- Individual Tiramisu
- Pear Tarte Tatin
- Mulled Wine Poached Pears
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Brandy & Vanilla Custard
Equipment
- Medium Saucepan
- Mixing Bowl
- Digital Food Probe
- Sieve
Ingredients
- 500 g Whole Milk
- 250 g Double Cream
- 100 g Caster Sugar
- ½ Vanilla Bean (or 1 tsp Vanilla Paste)
- 1 Orange – Zested
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
- 100 g Egg Yolks (Roughly 6 Yolks)
- 25 g Cornflour
- 25 ml Brandy
Instructions
- Add the milk, cream, 50 grams of the sugar, the pinch of salt, orange zest & vanilla into a saucepan.
- Set the pan over a low heat & leave to get steaming hot, stirring occasionally. Don't let the milk boil though!
- Whilst your milk is warming up, place the egg yolks, cornflour & the remaining sugar into a mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth then set aside.
- Once the milk is warm, gradually pour half of it into the yolks, whisking constantly as you do so.This is called tempering the egg yolks.
- Pour the tempered yolks back into the pan of milk then set over a low heat. Cook, stirring constantly until the custard reaches 82°c/180°f.If you haven't got a food probe, the custard is ready when it's thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Take the custard off the heat, stir in the brandy then pass into a jug, through a sieve.Alternatively, pass into a container, place a piece of baking parchment onto the surface of the custard then leave to cool. Store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in a saucepan, over a low heat.
