I used frozen artichoke hearts this time, which just needed to be boiled for a few minutes to thaw them.  If using fresh artichokes, pare them down to the heart and stem, then boil them in water containing lemon juice until they are tender.

Put all the ingredients (except those for the sauce!) in a bowl and use a blender to puree them all together.

Grease a muffin tin well, and put little rounds of baking paper in the bottom of each well.

Bake at 160ºC (325ºF) for 25 -30 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean.

Leave them to cool for about 15 -20 minutes, then run a knife around the edges before turning them out (CAREFULLY!) onto a plate.

Cut the cheese into small pieces.

Put all the ingredients for the sauce into a metal bowl placed over a pot of simmering water.

Stir continually until the sauce thickens.  This will take about 10 minutes or so, so be patient and keep stirring.  :)

Put the flans on individual plates and spoon the sauce decoratively on them/around them. (Don't forget to remove the little rounds of paper!). The flans can be reheated in the oven with no problem.