Crème brûlée and crème caramel

Crème caramel only: put the granulated sugar and the water in a small saucepan.

Stir as it comes up to the boil until the sugar dissolves into a clear syrup, then stop stirring.

Swirl the pan and brush the sides down with a wet pastry brush to dissolve stray sugar crystals; cook to a dark amber caramel, at which point the bubbles slow and the mixture goes fluid.

Pour the caramel into the ramekins, dividing evenly, and tilt each one quickly so it covers the base before it hardens.

Put the half and half in a saucepan with a very generous pinch of salt.

Split the vanilla bean down one side, scrape the seeds with the blunt side of a paring knife, and add the seeds and the pod to the saucepan.

Bring the dairy up slowly to just under a simmer, steaming with a slight ripple, to infuse the vanilla.

Preheat the oven to 300 with a rack in the centre.

Whisk the yolks, whole eggs and demerara sugar vigorously about a minute until pale, foamy and frothy.

Temper: stream the hot dairy slowly into the eggs while whisking constantly.

Stir the custard, scraping the bottom, until the demerara sugar is fully dissolved, then strain it into another vessel and press the vanilla seeds through.

If using vanilla extract rather than bean, add it at this stage.

Agitate to mix evenly and divide the custard among the ramekins, about two thirds of a cup each, almost to the top of a six ounce ramekin.

Cover each ramekin with its own piece of foil, held taut, and poke a couple of holes to let steam escape.

Line the roasting pan with a towel, set the ramekins in it in the oven, then pour water in halfway up the sides.

Bake at 300 for 30 to 35 minutes.

Lift a corner of foil with tongs and jostle a ramekin: it is done at a slow wobble that moves as a single piece, not a ripple.

Rest in the hot water bath 5 minutes, then lift onto a rack.

Crème brûlée: uncover so the surface dries out. Crème caramel: leave covered so the surface stays moist and dissolves the caramel beneath.

Cool gently to room temperature, then chill; they keep a couple of days and crème brûlée should be served cold.

Crème brûlée: sprinkle a teaspoon of granulated sugar as evenly as possible over one custard.

Hold the very end of the blue flame nearly touching the surface, keep the torch moving, and take the sugar to a deep amber without blackening it.

Sprinkle another teaspoon or so and torch a second layer, so the caramel is thick enough to shatter.

Crème caramel: run an offset spatula around the custard against the ramekin, invert a plate over it and turn it out with the caramel sauce.