Pumpkin pie is a classic autumn dessert, but if you want to switch things up in a French-style way, think crème brûlée flavoured with pumpkin and spice.
It has a crust, but not one made with pastry. Made of sugar, it’s a crisp caramel crust that sits on top of the pumpkin crème brûlée.
You can melt the sugar on each crème brûlée by setting them under your oven’s broiler. Or do as I did and use a kitchen/culinary torch — available from well-stocked hardware/kitchenware stores and online retailers.
If you do use a kitchen torch, keep the flame a few inches above the sugar and constantly move the torch around, shifting the focus of the heat as the sugar melts.
If the sugar is darkening too quickly in one area, move to another spot, or start caramelizing the top of another custard and go back to the first one once it has cooled a bit.
There are a few steps involved in making pumpkin crème brûlée. But you can make the custards up to two days in advance and keep them refrigerated until you’re ready to finish them off and serve.
Pumpkin Crème Brûlée
Rich custard, flavoured with pumpkin and spice, with a crisp caramel top.
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: about 50 minutes
Makes: six servings
2 Tbsp +1/4 cup + 6 tsp granulated sugar (divided)
1/3 cup canned or thick, homemade pumpkin purée
4 large egg yolks
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• tiny pinches ground cloves and salt
1 3/4 cups whipping cream (see Note)
Place 2 Tbsp sugar, pumpkin, yolks, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a medium heatproof bowl. Set the bowl on a dampened kitchen towel to prevent it from slipping when making the custard.
Place six 1/2-cup ramekins (or custard cups) in a 13 x 9-inch baking pan and set aside. Place an oven rack in the middle of the oven; preheat oven to 350 F.
Combine whipping cream and 1/4 cup sugar in a small pot, set over medium heat and bring to just to below the boiling point, stirring occasionally. Remove pot from the heat. Very slowly dribble and gently whisk in the warm cream into the pumpkin/yolk mixture. Now, if desired, to remove any potential coagulated bits of egg, strain the custard mixture in the bowl through a fine sieve into a two-cup glass measuring cup or other vessel preferably with a spout.
Divide and pour the custard into the ramekins. Set the pan in the oven. Pour enough hot water into the pan so it comes two-thirds of the way up the side of the ramekins.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are just set, but still jiggle. Remove the pan from the oven. Now set the custards in a clean baking pan and cool to room temperature. When cool, tent custards with plastic wrap, then chill them in the refrigerator for at least four hours, or up to two days.
When you’re ready to serve, sprinkle and evenly spread 1 tsp of sugar on top of each custard. Use a kitchen torch to carefully melt the sugar on each custard, creating an even sheet of melted sugar (caramel) that coats the top of each one (see Eric’s options). Let the crème brûlées cool a few minutes to allow the caramel tops to set, then serve.
Note: A 473 mL container of whipping cream will yield the 1 3/4 cups needed for this recipe plus a bit more you can use for another purpose.
Eric’s options: If you don’t have a kitchen torch to melt the sugar, set an oven rack six inches under your oven’s broiler. Preheat the broiler. Position your sugar-topped custards so they will be under the heat source. Leave the oven door open and broil the crème brûlées, keeping a close eye on them, until the sugar melts and an even sheet of melted sugar coats the top of each custard. Let the crème brûlées cool a few minutes to allow the caramel tops to set, and then serve.
Eric Akis is the author of eight cookbooks. His columns appear in the Life section Wednesday and Sunday.
