Flan is surprisingly easy to whip up, and since it has to be refrigerated overnight, it’s a good option for a dinner party.

Yield: 6 servings

Add 1 cup sugar and lemon juice to a pan on medium-high heat. Cook sugar, shaking pan occasionally, until a golden caramel color develops, about 7 minutes. Carefully pour just enough caramel into 6 (4 oz) ramekins to coat bottom. Add Grand Marnier and orange juice to pan, and cook on medium-low heat until caramel has melted into liquid. Remove from heat, and reserve.

Scrape inside of vanilla bean, and add it to a saucepan with milk and cream. Bring it to a strong simmer, and remove from heat. Let cool.

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Whisk eggs and 1/2 cup sugar. Add milk to eggs, and whisk well. Pour mixture into ramekins. Put ramekins into a roasting pan. Add very hot tap water to roasting pan until it reaches halfway up ramekin. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until custard is just set but still moves. Allow flan to cool at room temperature. Wrap, and refrigerate overnight.

To unmold, use a knife or offset spatula around inside edge of ramekin, and flip flan onto a plate. To serve, drizzle a little sauce around the flan.