Stir together half and half, brown sugar, and cornstarch in a 2-3 quart heavy saucepan and heat over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is heated through. (Do not let boil.)

Whisk together yolks and salt in a medium bowl until smooth, then add hot half and half mixture in a slow stream while whisking. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat, whisking for 1 minute. Mixture will thicken.

Immediately pour through a fine mesh sieve into a clean bowl and stir in butter, vanilla and scotch until butter is incorporated. Cover surface with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator until chilled-or you can just eat it warm, which isn’t so bad. Well, it is pretty good, too.

Whipped Topping

Mix heavy cream with sour cream and beat until mixture holds stiff peaks.

Caramel Sauce

Stir all ingredients together and heat in microwave on low power until butter has melted.