Once, while snooping around the kitchen of a French pastry chef (for professional reasons, of course), I peeked into a ramekin he'd pulled from the oven.

"Chocolate pudding!" I gushed.

He shook his head and replied sharply: "This is not pudding. Pudding is that terrible stuff you Americans make with starch. This is pot de crème."

Creamier, smoother, silkier and without any distracting grit from the starch, baked pots de crème, or custards, are superior to the stove-top-made cornstarch pudding in every way but one. The baked stuff does not form the same kind of slippery, sticky skin as the cornstarch kind. (All right, two ways: The baked custards take longer to make.)

As a pudding-skin lover, I find this lack slightly sad. But I bake mine anyway, because in all other respects, the custards are that much better.

One tricky thing about baking custard: the water bath.

The first time I ever used one, I filled a giant roasting pan with boiling water, then moved the hot, heavy, sloshing pan to the oven. The water rose in waves over the custard, ruining it before landing on my feet.

Since then, I've learned a few things about water baths.

The first is that you don't need to use a roasting pan. One that's just large enough to hold all your custard cups without their touching each other or the sides of the pan is ideal. I use a 9-by-13-inch pan for six to eight custard cups.

Second, don't bother boiling the water; hot tap water works fine.

Finally, the baking time for custard varies immensely. The bigger your pan and the heavier your custard cups, the longer it takes. So use the baking times as a guide rather than the creamy gospel. When the custard seems as thick as applesauce but still wobbles in the center, it's done. It will solidify in the fridge.

That said, not all baked custards need a water bath. Only two of the three I offer this week do; both are worth the effort. One is a mildly spiced butterscotch custard spiked with actual Scotch. The other is a dense, bittersweet chocolate pot de crème imbued with pistachio.

But I must admit that the third recipe, a humble tapioca pudding, is my favorite. Classic tapioca is the rare American pudding that doesn't have cornstarch, nor is it usually baked. But here, I bake it, mostly because it's easier. Once it's in the oven, you can leave it alone; on the stove it must be stirred frequently lest it scorch. Plus, I use pearl tapioca, which makes the pudding springy and fluffy, like a soft marshmallow.

Then a topping of Demerara sugar and cinnamon is quickly singed under the broiler. Served warm, the topping is a crunchy brûlée. But chilled, it softens, turning into the closest thing to a skin these baked beauties get. Which for me is the best of all worlds.

BAKED TAPIOCA PUDDING WITH CINNAMON SUGAR BRULEE

Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 cinnamon stick

1/3 cup small pearl tapioca

4 large egg yolks

85 grams granulated sugar (about 1/3 cup)

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

45 grams Demerara sugar (about 3 tablespoons)

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1. Heat oven to 300 degrees.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the milk, cream and cinnamon stick to a simmer. Whisk in the tapioca. Simmer until the pearls are completely tender, about 20 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, granulated sugar and salt. Whisking constantly, pour in a third of the tapioca mixture. Whisk yolk mixture into the pot of tapioca; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heatproof spatula, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.

4. Transfer pudding to a buttered 1 ½-quart gratin dish. Sprinkle the top with Demerara sugar and cinnamon. Bake, uncovered, until the pudding is firm around the edges and jiggly in the center, about 30 minutes. Put under the broiler until top is bubbling and golden, 3 to 5 minutes. (Watch carefully to make sure it doesn't burn.) Eat warm, or chill and serve cold, removing the cinnamon stick while serving.

CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO POTS DE CREME

Time: 90 minutes, plus chilling time

Yield: 6 servings

1 cup pistachios

40 grams confectioners' sugar (about 1/3 cup)

1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus a pinch

1 ½ cups whole milk

½ cup heavy cream

115 grams extra-bittersweet chocolate (about 72 percent cocoa), chopped (about 2/3 cup)

4 large egg yolks

45 grams granulated sugar (about 3 tablespoons)

Whipped cream, for serving

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Spread the pistachios on a baking sheet and toast 5 minutes. Let the pistachios cool, then transfer to a food processor, with the confectioners' sugar and salt. Process until it has the consistency of damp sand, about 5 minutes.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, cream and ¾ cup of the pistachio mixture (reserve the rest for garnish). Simmer 5 minutes; remove from heat, cover and let stand 20 minutes. Return the pot to the heat and return to a simmer.

3. Place the chocolate in a large bowl. Strain the pistachio cream through a fine-mesh sieve over the chocolate; press down on the pistachio solids with a rubber spatula to extract as much flavor as possible. Whisk until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth.

4. In a large bowl, whisk together the yolks, granulated sugar and a pinch of salt. Whisking constantly, pour in the hot chocolate mixture until combined. Divide the mixture among six 6-ounce ramekins. Transfer ramekins to a baking dish that fits them snugly. Fill the dish with hot water halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover with foil and prick foil with a fork. Bake until the pots de crème are set but jiggle slightly when nudged, 35 to 45 minutes.

5. Cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm. Serve topped with whipped cream and a sprinkling of the reserved pistachios.

BUTTERSCOTCH CUSTARD WITH CLOVE AND BLACK PEPPER

Time: 1 hour, plus chilling time

Yield: 8 servings

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

175 grams dark brown sugar (about 1 cup)

2 cups heavy cream

2 cups whole milk

2 tablespoons Scotch

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 grams fine sea salt (about ½ teaspoon)

6 large egg yolks

3/8 teaspoon ground clove

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Creme fraiche, for serving

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar until melted and smooth. Whisk in cream, milk, Scotch, vanilla and salt. Bring mixture to a simmer, stirring often.

2. In a large bowl, whisk the yolks. Whisking constantly, pour in the hot cream mixture in a steady stream until incorporated. Whisk in the clove and pepper; let steep 20 minutes, until cool. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve.

3. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Divide the custard among eight 6-ounce ramekins. Transfer ramekins to a baking dish that fits them fairly snugly. Fill the dish with hot water halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Cover with foil and prick foil with a fork. Bake until the custards are set but jiggle slightly when nudged, 35 to 50 minutes.

4. Cool to room temperature, then wrap with plastic and chill until firm. Serve with a dollop of creme fraiche.