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Vla
Vanillevla: pourable Dutch vanilla custard
Vla is the pourable custard that Dutch children eat by the bowlful after dinner, bought in cartons in every supermarket in vanilla, chocolate and caramel, and often swirled together into 'dubbelvla'. Homemade, it is just milk, egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and a little cornflour, cooked until it coats a spoon, then chilled. It should be thinner than English custard, pouring slowly like double cream. A common mistake is boiling it after the yolks go in, which curdles them. Chef's tip: stir a spoon of cocoa into half and swirl the two together for dubbelvla.
- Total time
- 20 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the vla
- 4 ¼ cups whole milk
- 2 ⅞ oz sugar
- 1 ⅜ oz cornflour
- 1 vanilla podsplit and scraped
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat 800 ml of 3 ¼ cups whole milk with 1 vanilla pod seeds and pod until steaming.
5 minStep 2: Whisk 2 egg yolks, 2 ⅞ oz sugar, 1 ⅜ oz cornflour and the rest of ¾ cup whole milk until smooth.
Step 3: Whisk the hot milk into the yolk mix, then return to the pan.
Step 4: Cook over a medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 6–8 minutes, until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Common mistake: boiling; it curdles.
8 minStep 5: Remove the pod, cover the surface and chill. Whisk before serving.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 160 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 24 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does vla take?
- About 20 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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