Ingredients

• 2 cups milk
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped, seeds reserved
• 5 sprigs thyme
• ¹⁄₄ cup sugar
• 6 egg yolks
• ¹⁄₈ tsp. kosher salt

Instructions

1. Bring milk, vanilla bean and seeds, and thyme to a simmer in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Whisk sugar and egg yolks in a bowl. Slowly whisk ½ cup hot milk into egg mixture until smooth, then transfer egg mixture to saucepan. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat, strain through a fine sieve into a bowl, set over a larger bowl of ice water. (This will stop the cooking process.) Discard vanilla bean; refrigerate sauce until cold.