Crème anglaise, custard sauce, **pouring **custard****, or simply custard is a light, sweetened pouring custard from French cuisine, used as a dessert cream or sauce. It is a mix of sugar, egg yolks, and hot milk usually flavoured with vanilla. Crème anglaise can be poured over cakes or fruits as a sauce or eaten as part of desserts such as floating island. It also serves as a base ingredient for other desserts such as ice cream or crème brûlée. As a beverage, it is known as "drinking custard" or "boiled custard" in the American South and served like eggnog during the Christmas season. Other names include the French terms crème à l'anglaise ("English-style cream") and crème française ("French cream"). Imitation custard sauce, containing no egg, is often made from instant custard powders such as Bird's Custard.