PG tested

This recipe is a favorite in the McKay household, and it's so easy.

-- Gretchen McKay

• 3 cups heavy cream
• 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, or 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar, such as Sugar in the Raw

Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Pour cream into a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Using tip of a knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean, if using, into cream and add pod (if using vanilla extract, do not add it yet). Heat cream over moderate heat until hot but not boiling; remove from heat and discard pod.

Whisk together yolks, granulated sugar and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Add hot cream in a slow stream, whisking constantly until combined. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl and whisk in vanilla extract, if using. Ladle custard into ramekins.

Arrange ramekins in a roasting pan and add enough boiling water to pan to reach halfway up sides of ramekins. Bake until custards are just set, 25 to 30 minutes. With tongs, transfer custards to a rack to cool, then refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 4 hours. Custards can be refrigerated for up to 2 days (cover after the first 4 hours); pat the tops gently with paper towels before sprinkling with sugar and caramelizing.

Just before serving, sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over custards. Move blowtorch flame evenly back and forth close to sugar until sugar is caramelized. Let stand until sugar is hardened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Serves 6.

-- "The Gourmet Cookbook" edited by Ruth Reichl (Houghton Mifflin, 2004)

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Tapioca Brulee

PG tested

Chet Garland, chef of Toast! Kitchen and Wine Bar in Shadyside, got this take on a classic from a friend of a friend who got it from famed pastry chef Jean-Louis Palladin, who in turn got it from Julia Child. It's delicious (especially for breakfast).

• 1 quart whole milk
• 1 cup large tapioca pearls
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1 1/4 cup sugar, plus 3/4 cup for assembling
• Pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 7 egg yolks

In a large saucepan, combine milk, tapioca, cream, sugar, salt and vanilla. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring constantly, until tapioca turns from white to clear.

In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg yolks. Gradually mix 1 cup of hot tapioca mixture into the eggs, stirring constantly to avoid curdling. Pour egg mixture gradually back into pan with the tapioca, stirring constantly. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat for about 3 minutes, until the pudding has thickened and coats the back of a spoon, and the tapioca is cooked through.

Pour the mixture while still warm into individual ramekins. Smooth top of pudding with an offset spatula, cover with plastic wrap and chill several hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Just before serving, sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons of sugar; tip the dish so the sugar evenly coats the top of the tapioca. Carefully pass over the sugar with a blowtorch until it has caramelized and forms a dark brown, crunchy crust, 4 to 5 minutes.

Makes 8 1-cup servings.

-- Chef Chet Garland, Toast! Kitchen and Wine Bar

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Milk Chocolate Creme Brulee

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A small amount of cocoa powder gives these pudding-like custards a delicate, milk chocolate flavor. An added plus: the recipe comes from a cookbook exclusively devoted to light chocolate recipes, so you don't have to feel guilty while enjoying it!

• 2 cups low-fat milk
• 3/4 cup dry nonfat milk powder
• 4 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
• Pinch of salt
• 4 large egg yolks
• 4 tablespoons sugar

Combine the milk, dry milk and 3 tablespoons brown sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat mixture over heat to 180 degrees or until tiny bubbles form around the edge (do no boil), stirring occasionally. Remove milk mixture from heat. Cool 20 minutes, then whisk in vanilla.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a medium bowl combine remaining 1 tablespoon brown sugar, cocoa powder, salt and egg yolks, stirring well with a whisk. Gradually whisk milk mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Divide the mixture evenly among four4 4-ounce ramekins, custard cups or shallow baking dishes. Place ramekins in a 13-by-9-inch baking pan, and add hot water to pan to a depth of 1???2 inch.

Bake 22- to 25 minutes or until center barely moves when ramekin is touched. Remove ramekins from pan; cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and chill at least 4 hours or overnight.

Sift 1 tablespoon sugar evenly over each custard. Holding a kitchen torch about 2 inches from the top of each custard, heat the sugar, moving the torch back and forth, until sugar is completely melted and caramelized (about 1 minute). Serve immediately or within 1 hour.

Makes 4 servings.

-- "Enlighted Chocolate" by Camilla Saulsbury (Cumberland House, 2007$22.95)

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Lemon Pots de Creme with Swiss Meringue Brulee

PG tested

In this recipe, a dollop of foamy Swiss meringue -- also known as warm or cooked meringue -- tops a lemony brulee.

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Pinch salt
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• For the meringue:
• 2 egg whites
• 3/4 cup sugar

Preheat an oven to 300 degrees. Have a pot of boiling water ready.

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the cream, milk, sugar, salt and lemon zest and slowly bring to a simmer. In a bowl, whisk the yolks until blended. Slowly add the hot cream mixture, whisking constantly, then whisk in the vanilla. Pour the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a 1-quart measuring pitcher and press on the zest with a rubber spatula to extract the flavor.

Place 4 ramekins in a baking dish large enough to hold them without touching. Divide the custard evenly among the ramekins.

Carefully pour boiling water into the baking dish to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until custards are set, 35 to 40 minutes. They should still jiggle a little in the center; they will firm as they cool. Remove the ramekins from the baking dish, place on a wire rack and let cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 8 hours.

To make the meringue, in the bowl of an electric mixer combine the egg whites and sugar. Set bowl over but not touching simmering water in a saucepan and gently whisk until the mixture is hot to the touch or a candy thermometer registers 140 degrees. Set the bowl on the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high heat until the mixture is doubled in volume and holds medium peaks when the whisk is lifted from the bowl, about 5 minutes.

Place a spoonful of meringue on top of each pot de creme. Using a kitchen torch, move the flame continuously in small circles over the surface of the meringue until it is lightly browned. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

-- Williams-Sonoma

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Mushroom and Goat Cheese Creme Brulee

PG tested

Believe it or not, but brulees don't have to be dessert. This savory recipe from Lou Siebert Pappas' new "Creme Brulee" pairs woodsy mushrooms with creamy goat cheese. Think of it as a tiny pot of quiche.

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound portobello or cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon or thyme or 3???4 teaspoon dried tarragon or thyme
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh chives
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 ounces mild goat cheese, sliced
• 1/2 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
• 24 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In medium saucepan, melt butter with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and saute for 1 to 2 minutes, until glazed.

In a bowl, whisk yolks until pale in color. Whisk in cream, half-and-half, herbs, chives and salt and pepper.

Place 6 ramekins in a baking dish. Divide the mushrooms and goat cheese among the dishes. Divide the custard mixtures among the dishes. Sprinkle with Gruyere. Pour warm water in the pan to come halfway up the sides of the dishes. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center of each custard still jiggles slightly. Remove from oven and left dishes from water. Place on a baking sheet.

Even sprinkle 4 teaspoons parmesan over each of the custards and using a hand-held blowtorch, brown the cheese. Serve hot.

Serves 6.

-- "Creme Brulee" by Lou Seibert Pappas (Chronicle, $14.95)