Vanilla Custard with Bourbon-Caramel Sauce

Delightfully light and smooth, these Vanilla Custards with Bourbon-Caramel Sauce feel like a five-star restaurant dessert. Our secret? All you need to pull off these stunning custards are a stovetop burner and a sauce pan. Similar in texture to a flan but with the elegant flavor of a crème brûlée, this vanilla custard delivers the best of both worlds. To ramp up the vanilla flavor, we use a whole vanilla bean pod in this custard, but you can substitute 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste.

If this is your introduction to the world of custard, don’t worry: We’ve got plenty of tips to ensure that the cooking process runs smoothly. The most important step to achieve a silky-smooth custard is to properly temper your eggs. This is the process of slowly drizzling in a hot liquid into the uncooked eggs, whisking quickly so as not to scramble the eggs, then returning the egg mixture to the remaining hot liquid so that it is smooth. No scrambled egg clumps here! Next, try your hand at another famed Southern dessert: Egg Custard Pie.

The Bourbon-Caramel Sauce is delicious on its own—store it in the fridge to drizzle on brownies or ice cream. Top your chilled custards with the Bourbon-Caramel Sauce and a dollop of whipped cream or crème fraiche. These individually-portioned desserts make a beautiful finale to any dinner party.