Custard

These creamy custards feature the flavors of chai, a spiced tea that's enhanced with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and ginger.

Make these a day ahead to give the caramel time to soften and the custards time to set.

Here's a rich, creamy classic with a tropical twist. Begin preparing it a day ahead.

This is it, the decadent pie that seduced the seductive Marilyn Monroe. She simply couldn't get enough of it. Patch brought this recipe with him from Arkansas, where it was named for his sister Milton.

Active time: 15 min Start to finish: 4 hr (includes cooling)

Just a few short years ago, crème brûlée was found only in four-star French retaurants. Now almost everybody makes one using a favorite and often exotic flavoring. This ice-cold custard with the crackling sugar top is the most popular dessert at my restaurant. So much so that I sometimes think it is the only dessert I should make. Perhaps it is the ease of preparation that makes me think so!

Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 4 hr

Parisians love chocolate, and cooks in Paris might make this with Valrhona, one of the best French brands. Begin preparing the dessert a day ahead.

This refreshing dessert comes from Lincoln Carson, pastry chef at the Highlands Inn in Carmel Highlands, California. It has a lovely rich texture, even though it has no eggs.

Crunchy candy-coated cranberries make festive garnish for this inventive dessert. Begin preparing the custards a day before serving.

This recipe is an accompaniment for Pear Charlottes with Chamomile Crème Anglaise .

This is a cross between two English classics. The Bakewell tart, named after the town in Derbyshire where it was supposedly invented by accident in the nineteenth century, is a layered jam, custard and almond treat. Burnt cream is the English cousin and forerunner of the French crème brûée. It's also known as Trinity cream, since it is thought to have originated at Cambridge's Trinity College in the eighteenth century.

Creamy custards and puddings were big hits in 1997. Pots de crème are typically made with vanilla or chocolate, but these luscious custards have a deep caramel flavor.