milk mixture, and place the pods aside on a plate (allow to dry and store in a jar or in a jar of sugar) Whisking constantly, pour about 2 cups of the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture Whisk the egg yolk mixture back into the hot milk in the saucepan Quickly rinse and dry your medium bowl and place it in the bowl of ice with a strainer set on top NOTE: If you set the bowl on a piece of shelf paper or on a coiled towel it won’t slide around when you whisk in the milk Place the saucepan back on low heat Using a rubber spatula, stir constantly and everywhere until you feel the mixture starting to thicken Stirring in a figure 8 helps to assure that your spatula touches the entire bottom of the pan To test whether or not your sauce is thick enough, lift your spatula from the saucepan with some sauce on it and run your finger down the middle It should leave a canal Place a thermometer in the saucepan and continue to stir constantly until the temperature reaches between 165°F/75°C and 180°F/82°C Immediately strain the mixture into the clean dry mixing bowl set in the ice The ramekin under the bowl will keep it steady once the ice begins to melt Stir for a few minutes, then just once in a while, until the mixture has cooled It is important that the egg mixture cools down in 20 minutes or less so that salmonella bacteria do not have a chance to reproduce and it is safe to use If you do not have ice on hand, place the bowl in your freezer and stir once in a while In the meantime, using an immersion ... Immediately strain the mixture into the clean dry mixing bowl set in the ice The ramekin under the bowl will keep it steady once the ice begins to melt Stir for a few minutes, then just once in a while, until the mixture... constantly and everywhere until you feel the mixture starting to thicken Stirring in a figure 8 helps to assure that your spatula touches the entire bottom of the pan To test whether or not your sauce is thick enough, lift your... spatula from the saucepan with some sauce on it and run your finger down the middle It should leave a canal Place a thermometer in the saucepan and continue to stir constantly until the temperature reaches