16ozmilk(preferably non-homogenized, with the cream blended in)
1vanilla bean split down the middle (you can get away with half a bean if you must)
4ozsugar(about half a cup)
4ozegg yolk(about 7 yolks)
Instructions
Combine milk, vanilla bean, and sugar in a sauce pan and bring up the heat till just before it simmers; remove from heat and allow the bean to steep 10 minutes or so while you prepare an ice bath (a large bowl of ice, with a small bowl set in the ice, with a strainer set in the bowl—you’ll be straining the hot sauce into the cold bowl to halt its cooking).
Whisk the yolks to combine.
Bring the milk just to a simmer, whisk some of it into the yolks to temper them, then add the remaining cream to the yolks while whisking. Pour it all back into the pot, stirring with a heatproof rubber spatula over medium heat until it’s thick, a minute or two or more depending on your heat, until it has a nice sauce-like consistency. Don’t boil it our you’ll harden the egg. Immediately strain the coats-the-back-of-a-spoon-thick sauce into the ice cold bowl and stir with the spatula till the sauce is chilled.