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1½ cups sugar

8 large eggs

4 large egg yolks

Pinch of salt

Scald the milk with the vanilla in a large saucepan over low heat. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, for 30 minutes.

In a separate saucepan, prepare caramel for an 8-cup mold: Combine 3 tablespoons water, the lemon juice, and ½ cup sugar and cook over medium-high heat until golden. Watch carefully that it doesn’t become too dark and burn, as it may taste bitter.

Carefully pour the caramel into the mold, tilting the mold to fully coat the bottom and sides. Let sit until the caramel hardens, about 2 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Whisk together the eggs, yolks, the remaining 1 cup sugar, and the salt in a large bowl until the mixture is pale yellow and thick enough to coat a spoon or spatula.

Pour the scalded milk mixture into the egg mixture and mix well with a wooden spoon to make a custard.

Using a fine metal kitchen strainer, carefully strain the custard mixture into the caramelized mold.

Place the mold in a larger pan more than 1 inch deep. Set the larger pan on an oven shelf, and fill with at least 1 inch of water, until it comes halfway up the mold.

Bake for 60 to 75 minutes, until the custard is set. (You’ll know it’s ready when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.) Remove the pan and mold from the oven and set the mold outside the larger pan to cool for 2 hours.

Refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight. When ready to serve, run a knife around the edges of the mold. Cover the mold with a deep serving dish and overturn the mold. Allow the caramel to coat the custard. Cut into portions before serving, then serve some of the crème caramel with cream.

SERVES 6. Serving size: ½ cup.

The long, slow cooking of this classic dessert produces a perfectly smooth and silky custard.

Pears in Port Wine

4 ripe, firm pears

3 cups ruby port wine

¼ cup sugar

1 jigger (3 tablespoons) Cointreau

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Peel the pears, but leave them whole. With the stem end intact, cut off a thin slice at the bottom so that the pears can stand upright.

In a nonreactive saucepan, bring the port, sugar, and 2 cups water to a boil.

Place the whole pears in the liquid, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for about 35 minutes, turning the pears occasionally, until they are tender.

Remove the pears with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool.

Increase the heat under the saucepan and reduce the liquid by half by boiling vigorously for 20 minutes to a medium-thick syrup. Add the Cointreau and vanilla.

Place the pears upright in a serving dish and spoon the reduced syrup over them. Chill for at least 2 hours before serving.

SERVES 4. Serving size: One pear, or if one-half pear will satisfy, offer vanilla ice cream at the first serving.

Second and third servings could be eaten in the morning with coffee or in the afternoon with a cup of aromatic tea.

Raise a Glass

White wines such as Chardonnay, Chablis, and Riesling must be served cold. I have not said U.S. wines are the best, but they are my favorites.

Fortunately, there are American wines as tasty as any wine in the world and thankfully less expensive. I serve California, Washington State, and New York wines and have always been pleased with my guests’ reception of my choice.

Red wines such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Bordeaux, and Pinot Noir are easily found in your local wine store. Some need to be decanted, especially the older, bigger red wines. I encourage you to pour the red wine you are going to serve into a decanter, two hours before dinner, to achieve its optimum flavor.

Some guests still drink sherry. I serve Dry Sack and cocktail sherry before meals and sometimes a good port after dinner. And a generous host provides Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Baileys, Frangelico, and other cognacs and brandies to please the guests.

It must be remembered that a good friend does not allow a guest to drive after too much alcohol. So have a good time and be wise.

Party Hearty

In my early teens,