Light pumpkin flan

Stir a cup of sugar with a couple tablespoons of water; cook on medium heat, or a hair under, to a dark amber, not so dark it tastes burnt.

Pour the caramel quickly into ramekins lightly sprayed with non-stick vegetable spray, covering the bottoms, before it hardens; set aside.

Mix five whole eggs, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, allspice, mace, salt and sugar, popping the yolks first.

Add a can of pumpkin puree and mix until smooth.

Heat low-fat milk on medium-low until almost simmering -- little bubbles at the edge, steam, the faintest film -- then turn it off.

Add the scraped vanilla bean seeds and pod and let steep about 10 minutes.

Strain the hot milk into the pumpkin-egg mixture, whisking as it goes in.

Fill the ramekins to about half an inch from the top.

Set in a pan, fill halfway up the ramekins with very hot water and cover with heavy duty foil.

Bake in a preheated 300 degree oven 45 to 50 minutes, until it jiggles but the middle does not look liquid, or a thin knife comes out clean.

Remove from the water, cool to room temperature, wrap and refrigerate at least four hours.

Run a knife around the edge and invert onto a plate; garnish with pumpkin seeds.