I discovered vegetable flans to that old French master Roger Vergé who made splendid vegetable flans with all sorts of vegetables. I rely on 4-ounce disposable aluminum cups to bake my flans in individual-sized portions.

(Makes six 4-ounce servings)

1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 cup)

1/4 cup butter, plus butter for the cups

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch slices

1/2 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs

1.) Preheat oven to 400 and butter six disposable 4-ounce soufflé cups. Arrange the cups in a baking dish that will comfortably hold them all.

2.) In a large skillet or saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat and cook the onion, stirring often until tender and but not brown, about 5 minutes. Add carrots and cream, bring the mixture to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer gently just until the carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.

3.) In a blender or food processor, pulse eggs with salt, then add the cooked carrot mixture. Cover the top of the machine with a kitchen towel and process using short pulses at first so that the hot mixture does not overflow when the machine is turned on. Pulse until smooth, then distribute the mixture evenly between the buttered ramekins.

4.) Pour boiling water into baking dish around ramekins until it reaches halfway up the sides. Cover baking dish with buttered parchment then with aluminum foil. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

5.) Serve the flans at once, or keep them warm in a 180° oven for up to 1 hour, or refrigerate and then reheat as needed. To serve, loosen the edges of custards with a spatula or knife, slipping the point of the spatula down the sides of the custards to let in enough air to release the custards. Invert onto plates and serve.