Pudding, you say? Or maybe you're thinking creme brulee? Sophisticated diners might answer panna cotta or pot de creme. But wait a minute, what about flan, or better yet, just plain old custard?

Truth is, you would be correct with any one of those responses. While there is no one simple definition that encompasses the befuddling variety of puddings and custards that have become a mainstay on restaurant dessert menus, they all share a smooth, silken texture that makes them natural crowd pleasers.

What differentiate these creamy confections from one another are the thickening agents that give them body and the way in which they are cooked - or not.

While many of our earliest memories of this dessert genre come by way of boxed instant puddings, don't ever confuse those powder-based preparations courtesy of My-T-Fine and Jell-O with the real thing.

Eggs, sugar and cream or milk are the staples of most puddinglike desserts, and while the preparation seems rather basic for so elegant a result, there is plenty of room for innovation and variety.

Vanilla, chocolate and butterscotch are common varieties, but infusions of various flavors, such as orange, lemon, cinnamon, espresso, ginger, even saffron, can turn an ordinary dessert into something much more exotic.

"Everyone always says, 'Puddings and custards, oh, they're comfort foods,' and so much of what makes a food comforting is texture," says New York-based cookbook author Dorie Greenspan, whose "Baking: From My Home to Yours" (Houghton Mifflin, $40) has a whole section devoted to puddings and custards. "Puddings have this fabulous texture. They just feel so good in your mouth, and you can slip them and slide them through your teeth and no one knows you're doing it.

"It's really an easy class of desserts, and any time you're warming milk or cream, it's an opportunity for infusions. Once you learn to make it, you can have a house specialty that's all yours."

Pastry chef James Foran of Market Restaurant in Del Mar, Calif., believes that a dessert menu should always include at least one offering with a "silky texture," whether it's a panna cotta (Italian for cooked cream) or some kind of pudding or pot de creme, usually a denser, rich custard baked in the oven.

"When I go out to dinner with my mom, who lives in New York, she likes creme brulee because she associates it with being a kind of fancier dessert," said Foran.

"For people who dine out a lot and who are foodies, yeah, it has become a bit of a cliche, but for people who don't dine out a lot, they appreciate it on the menu," she said.

Often how a dessert is named on a menu can be what ultimately seduces a diner to try something, Foran admits. Pudding or custard may sound pedestrian, but call it "pot de creme" or dress it up as a "vanilla bean custard," and suddenly the dessert sounds much more tantalizing.

At Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles, for example, the tremendously popular butterscotch budino is really a pudding, but Italian budino seems to roll off the tongue much more fluidly than "pudding."

DESSERT DIVISIONS

For simplicity's sake, think of these creamy desserts as falling into two broad categories: puddings and custards. Puddings are cooked on the stove top, have as their base cream or milk and eggs, and are typically thickened with some sort of starch, like flour or cornstarch.

Desserts such as panna cotta, which get their jiggly structure from gelatin, and the more saucy creme anglaise, belong in the pudding genre. They are much less time-consuming to prepare because they set up in the refrigerator instead of being baked in the oven.

Custards, which can include flan, creme brulee and creme caramel (lacquered on the top and sides with golden caramel), rely more heavily on eggs, as well as baking at low temperatures in a warm-water bath, to give them structure.

Homemade ice cream usually starts with a custard base that is then frozen.

While the pot de creme is typically categorized as a custard, dessert guru Nick Malgieri insists it is never baked.

"A pot de creme is a very rich custard cream without a starch thickener that's poured into a mold and then set," explained Malgieri, director of baking programs at the New York-based Institute of Culinary Education. "If it's baked, it's not a real pot de creme."

As for the term pudding, Malgieri rejects it as ill-suited for what we Americans have come to know as a creamy comfort dessert.

"Pudding is very sloppy terminology," he said. "To a British person, it can be any kind of sweet served after a meal. It originally was something that was steamed, boiled or baked - like a plum pudding - so it had a makeup and texture that was like a cake but softer and moister."

Whatever the definition, technique and patience are essential in transforming these desserts into the luscious, velvety creations we expect them to be.

Whether you're using the stove top or the oven to prepare a pudding or custard, there are ways to ensure that your finished product is lump-free. When cooking a pudding mixture on the stove, you must take care to control the heat and stir constantly to avoid curdling the eggs.

To ensure an extra smooth texture, Greenspan likes to give the pudding base a few whirls in the food processor both before cooking and after. Foran favors an immersion blender. And always strain the mixture to remove any globules of cooked egg.

"The biggest thing with making a custard is to cook low and slow," said Foran. "You can't rush it. Custard is all about texture; if it's curdled it's absolutely disgusting. I like to bake them at no hotter than 300 degrees, cover them tightly with aluminum foil, and a really important thing is to not check it every 10 minutes."

For neophytes, keep it simple by first trying a basic pudding recipe, and you will be rewarded rather quickly for your efforts. Chances are you will swear off those instant versions of your youth forevermore.

BUTTERSCOTCH POTS DE CREME

1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons water

5 egg yolks

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Yields 6 (4-ounce) cups.

Whisk cream, milk and brown sugar together in saucepan. Cook over medium heat until brown sugar is melted and mixture is hot.

In another saucepan, dissolve granulated sugar in water. Cook over medium heat until mixture is at a boil. Continue to boil until sugar starts to caramelize and turns a medium amber color. Turn off heat and slowly whisk in hot cream mixture in 4 portions.

Preheat oven to 300 F.

In bowl, whisk together egg yolks and slowly add cream mixture, stirring constantly. Strain through fine mesh. Pour mixture into ramekins and place in pan with sides at least 1 1/2 inches tall. Pour enough hot water into pan so it comes halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until custards are set and slightly jiggle when moved. Remove from water after 5 minutes and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

SAFFRON PANNA COTTA WITH ROASTED STRAWBERRY-RHUBARB COMPOTE

1 3/4 teaspoons gelatin powder

1 cup milk (divided use)

2 cups heavy cream

3/4 teaspoons saffron

1/4 teaspoon grated orange zest

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon honey

Tiny pinch salt

1/2 cup pistachios, for garnish

Roasted Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote:

1 1/2 cup strawberries, stemmed and quartered

1 cup rhubarb, cleaned and cut into 1/2-inch slices

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon orange zest

Yields 4 to 6 servings.

To make panna cotta: In small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup milk; let stand until gelatin is softened, about 5 minutes.

In large saucepan, combine heavy cream, remaining 1/2 cup milk, saffron, orange and lemon zest, sugar, vanilla, honey and salt. Bring cream just to a simmer (do not let it boil), whisking occasionally until sugar has completely dissolved; remove from heat, cover and let sit 5 minutes. Add softened gelatin mixture and whisk to completely dissolve gelatin.

Strain hot cream mixture into large glass measuring cup with spout; pour into ramekins or custard cups. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

To make compote: Preheat oven to 350 F. Toss all compote ingredients together and place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 15 minutes. Let cool before removing from cookie sheet.

Toast pistachios in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Cool slightly and chop roughly.

To unmold and serve: Place each panna cotta in bowl with warm water for 15 seconds so water comes 3/4 of the way up sides. Holding at an angle, pull top side of panna cotta away from ramekin and invert onto serving plate. Place some compote next to pudding and sprinkle with toasted pistachios.

- James Foran, Market Restaurant, Del Mar, Calif.

MALIBU RUM CREME CARAMEL

Carmel:

2 cups sugar

Custard:

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup milk

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon almond extract

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup Malibu Coconut Rum

1 whole egg

3 egg yolks

1/8 cup sugar

Yields 6 servings.

To make caramel: Put sugar in heavy-bottomed pot and add enough water to create mixture like wet sand. Cook over medium heat without stirring until you get a medium to dark caramel. If crystals form around pot, brush down sides with wet pastry brush. Very carefully divide caramel among six ramekins, swirling to get caramel up sides.

To make custard: In saucepan, combine cream, milk, sugar, almond extract, salt and rum, and heat to a simmer.

In bowl, whisk together egg, egg yolks and 1/8 cup sugar. Slowly whisk hot cream mixture into bowl with eggs and sugar, continually whisking so eggs don't start to cook.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Divide custard mixture among caramel-coated ramekins. Place in large pan and fill pan with enough hot water to come halfway up sides of ramekins. Cover pan with aluminum foil and punch holes in foil. Bake for 1 hour. Refrigerate ramekins overnight.

To unmold, loosen sides of the custard and place upside down on plate.

- Margaret Nolan of Currant Brasserie, San Diego.