By Joanne Sasvari

Every once in a while you need a dessert that is rich and luxurious, but not really heavy. You need something you can make ahead of time, but still looks like you made an effort. You need something that will impress, but at the same time isn’t super finicky. Maybe you have a guest with gluten issues. Maybe you need something comforting. Maybe you’re just craving caramel.

For all of these occasions, nothing will do better than crème caramel.

I have been making this for years. No, decades. I don’t even remember where the original recipe came from – all I have is a photo copy of a newspaper clipping, with no info on the original source, so if that’s you, um, thanks! I love this recipe, and so does everyone who’s ever tried it.

It does involve a couple of savvy techniques that will impress your guests, but they’re not really hard to do.

The first is making caramel, which really just requires paying attention. Mix sugar and a little water together and heat until dissolved, then keep cooking, without stirring, until it’s a deep amber. It helps if you have a light-coloured stainless steel pan. (When I first made this, all my pots and pans had a dark non-stick surface; later I invested in a fancy copper pot for making candy. In either case, and it was anyone’s guess what colour the contents were.) It helps, too, if you keep a container of water next to the stove, and dip a pastry brush in it every once in a while to whisk away the sugar crystals that gather on the side of the pan as you make the caramel.

The other technique is using a bain marie, a hot water bath, which cooks the custard gently so it doesn’t overcook or curdle. For this you’ll have to place the dish you’re making the custard in – preferably a soufflé dish – inside a bigger baking pan, then fill that pan with hot water. Word to the wise: Make sure the baking pan isn’t too big, or else you’ll have to heat a lot of water and risk slopping scalding H2O all over your kitchen (and yourself) when you take it out of the oven later. An electric kettle with a temperature gauge is super handy here, as you want water that is hot, but not boiling.

And then there is the whole flipping and plating the crème caramel, which can be intimidating the first few times you do it, but a terrific piece of tableside showmanship once you feel confident enough to attempt it in front of others. Ta-da! Here’s your go-to dinner party dessert.

Classic Crème Caramel

Note that you will need a 6-cup souffle dish or similar deep, round ceramic baking dish. If you have 1% or 2% milk, you can reduce the milk to 2 cups, and increase the cream to 1 cup.

Serves 6 to 8

2 cups sugar, divided
¼ cup water
2 ¼ cups whole milk (see note above)
¾ cup heavy cream (36% butterfat)
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Make the caramel: In a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar with ¼ cup water over medium-low heat. Cook until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.

Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook without stirring. Every once in a while, brush the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water – this gets rid of any crystals that might accumulate.

Once the mixture starts to turn golden, swirl the pan occasionally to make sure it caramelizes evenly. Watch carefully; at this point it can go quickly from delicious to burnt and bitter.

When the caramel is a rich amber colour, remove it from the heat and immediately pour it into a 6-cup soufflé dish. Working quickly, tip the dish to make sure the caramel covers the bottom evenly. Cool to room temperature.

Make the custard: In a large-ish bowl, whisk together the eggs, egg yolks, remaining 1 cup sugar, vanilla and salt.

Bake the crème caramel: For this you will use a bain marie, a hot water bath that cooks the custard more gently than direct heat. Place the soufflé dish in a baking pan at least 2 inches deep, and not a whole lot bigger than the dish. A 9-by-12-inch pan is perfect.

Start heating the water. Pour the custard into the prepared souffle dish and cover it tightly with aluminum foil. When the water is hot but not boiling – around 90°C (194°F) – pour it into the baking pan so it comes up about halfway outside the soufflé dish. Put the whole thing in the oven and bake for 1 ½ to 1 ¾ hours, until it barely moves when shaken. Carefully remove from oven, take soufflé dish out of the hot water, remove foil from dish, and chill thoroughly.

When you’re ready to serve, run a thin knife or offset spatula round the sides of the soufflé dish. Choose a serving plate with a lip so the caramel doesn’t run over the edge. Place plate on top of soufflé dish, then quickly but carefully invert, allowing the caramel to trickle over the custard. If you like, serve with fresh berries, candied orange peel and/or mint.