Heat the sugar in a saucepan. Begin to stir when it starts to melt around the edges, then stir slowly but continously. When it is fully dissolved, add the water all at once and pour sufficient caramel into the custard moulds to cover the bottom by about 3mm. Any left over can be boiled up with water and served as a caramel sauce.
Put the pan of milk on the heat, cut the vanilla pod open lengthways and scrape the seeds and pith into the milk. Bring to the boil.
Beat the eggs and egg yolks thoroughly with the sugar but do not allow to become frothy.
Then stir in the hot milk gradually.
Pass the custard through a fine sieve and pour into the moulds.
Place moulds in a water bath (the water should be at a temperature of 80C) and left to cook for about 20 minutes.
Let the custards get thoroughly cool, and run around the inside of the mould with the point of a knife before turning them out.