For New Year's Eve this year, we served a multi-course meal, full of complex and labor-intensive dishes. What had our guests raving and demanding seconds and thirds, though? These simple little flans, which we threw together on a whim the day before.

This basic flan recipe has only 5 ingredients, and takes just about no effort whatsoever. Add some cocoa nibs and infuse the cream before mixing everything together, though, and you have a more interesting and elegant dessert.

The combination of the cocoa nibs and dark muscovado sugar resulted in a rich, intense coffee flavor - we don't quite understand it, but we certainly don't object!

You don't have to find cocoa nibs to make this work, though. Make plain flans (which still taste and look extraordinary), or infuse the cream with other flavors (rosemary, cinnamon, whatever you like) instead.

If you like to entertain without putting in too much effort, this is a fantastic recipe (after the jump) to have in your box of tricks. Flans look and taste so amazing, no one ever guesses how easy they are to make in advance.

Cocoa Nib Flans with Raw Sugar Sauce
(adapted from Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich)
3 C half-and-half
3/4 C cocoa nibs (optional)
2/3 C firmly packed dark muscovado sugar (you can substitute any raw sugar, or just dark brown sugar, if you prefer)
3/8 tsp salt
5 large eggs
3/4 C granulated sugar

Position a rack in the lower third of your oven and preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a small saucepan, stir together the half-and-half and cocoa nibs and bring it to a boil. Then turn off the heat, cover the pot, and leave it to steep for 15-20 minutes. This step is optional - you can infuse the half-and-half with any other flavor you like instead, or if you prefer your flan plain, just warm it up until it just barely starts to steam but don't bother infusing it at all.

Get a big baking pan. Cover the bottom with a small kitchen towel or doubled layer of paper towels. Place your ramekins in the baking pan, using either eight 6 oz ramekins or twelve 4 oz ramekins.

Stir 1/4 tsp salt in with the muscovado sugar, and rub it between your fingers to get rid of any lumps. Divide it evenly among your ramekins, and press into the bottom of each ramekin with a small cup to compress it into a layer at the bottom of each.

Set a kettle of water on the stove to boil.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, granulated sugar, and remaining 1/8 tsp salt. Pour the half-and-half while it is still steaming hot into the eggs, whisking all the while.

Strain the mixture, then gently ladle or pour it into the ramekins. Try to disturb the sugar layer as little as possible, but don't stress too much if some of it drifts up.

Pour boiling water into the baking pan around the ramekins until it comes up about halfway up their sides.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the centers are just barely very slightly wobbly.

Remove the ramekins from the water and let them cool to room temperature, then refrigerate them overnight (though close to 24 hours would be better).

The long refrigeration time allows the layer of muscovado sugar to absorb water from the custard, which will turn it into a liquidy sauce. If you serve the flans too soon, the sugar may still be a crunchy layer instead.

To serve, run a sharp knife around the edge of the flan, then invert it onto the plate.