Pumpkin Flan

Right after I got home from Ecuador, I took my nephew up to my aunt and uncle's farm to get some pumpkins. We had different goals, James and I, but we both came home happy. He got a pumpkin 'big enough to fit Poppy (his sister) in', as well as some quality time admiring the tractors. I scored 15 pie pumpkins. My plan was to make pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, but we were missing something crucial, though I can't remember what it was now. That left me with a cooked pumpkin, so I brought it home and got to work. I made a pumpkin loaf, which was delicious, but got eaten before the camera-computer issue got fixed. Then I made this, which is just like pumpkin pie filling without the crust, and with a caramel sauce. It's smooth, creamy, dense and pumpkiny. 

Pumpkin Flan

Serves 8 according to the recipe, but I think it's enough for at least 12--it's quite rich

Source: Adapted from Gourmet Today

2 cups sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1½ cups whole milk

5 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

15 ounces pumpkin puree (I used fresh, but this is equivalent to one can)

2 tablespoons dark rum

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon salt

a handful of pumpkin seeds for garnish (optional)

2-quart/liter souffle or round casserole dish (I used small ramekins)

Preheat oven to 350℉.

Caramel:

Heat 1 cup sugar with ¼ cup water in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, brushing down the edges of the pan with a wet brush to rinse away any sugar crystals. Boil until it is a dark amber colour, then immediately pour into dish or dishes and swirl to distribute evenly. Set aside while you make the flan.

Flan:

Bring the cream and milk to a simmer in a heavy saucepan over medium heat (I used the same saucepan, and didn't bother to wash it--the hardened caramel with dissolve). Whisk the eggs, yolk and remaining sugar together until well blended. Add the pumpkin, rum, vanilla, spices and salt and whisk. Add the hot cream mixture in a stream while whisking. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pushing mixture with a spatula to force it through. Pour custard into caramel lined dish or dishes. Place into a large roasting pan, place pan in preheated oven and then pour boiling water to come at least halfway up sides of dish. Bake until flan is golden brown on top (small ones won't brown as much) and a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 1¼ hours. Transfer dish to a rack to cool. Once cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, overnight is even better. The longer it sits, the more caramel dissolves, giving more sauce.

To serve:

Run a thin knife around the edges of the flan to loosen it. Shake the dish gently until the flan moves freely in dish. Invert a large platter deep enough to catch the caramel sauce over the dish and, holding them tightly together, quickly invert and turn flan out on platter. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds just before serving.

See you on Thursday with the Daring Bakers' reveal!

Brown butter pumpkin birthday cake

The little one, for O

I'm finally back home! I was hoping to have something yummy and seasonal to share with you, but who am I kidding? There's not much seasonal in my neck of the woods these days. I raided my mother's freezer and made rhubarb crisp with the last of the frozen stuff, but I didn't get any pictures. It wasn't the most picturesque dessert anyway, even though it was very tasty. Instead, I bring you pumpkin cake! I made this cake for 2 friends' birthdays, one in November and one in March. The first one, in November, was a half recipe baked in 6" cake pans. The second was the full recipe. Both times I made extra frosting, because you really don't want to skimp on the cream cheese and browned butter goodness.

The big one, for M

This is a rich cake, best served in small slices. Make sure the frosting is at room temperature for spreading and serving, as you can see how it wasn't as smooth in the top picture. Sorry, no cut photos this time: these left my kitchen and only the cake plates came back, eventually. Because I am lazy actually made these according to the recipe, I am linking it here. Okay, I might have added a teaspoon of baking powder and browned all the butter at once and used butternut squash for one of them. The extra baking powder definitely helped lighten the cake a bit, as I forgot it for the second version and it was much denser. Also, for the second cake I didn't strain out the browned bits in the butter, thinking they would add extra texture to the frosting. They did, but it also looks like my frosting is full of crumbs. Do as I say, not as I do. The last little change was that I didn't put any nuts between the layers, but piled them all on top. 

Whatever changes you make, this is an absolutely fabulous cake, and one of my new favourites. It may not be spring-y, but there's a butternut squash on my counter that's tempting me to make this again. For me this time.

:)