This savory, sweet and spicy pumpkin flan is silky smooth with a kick of spicy toasted pumpkin seeds. It is the perfect make-ahead dessert as it needs to be made at least the day before you serve it. BTW, it is gluten-free.
Ingredients
- 3 cups sugar, divided into two 1.5 cup portions
- 3 cups cream
- 2 cups milk -- at least 2% or whole milk
- 10 whole large eggs plus 2 egg yolks
- 2 15-ounce cans solid-pack pumpkin
- 1 T vanilla
- 1 T cinnamon
- 2 t ground ginger
- ½ t grated fresh nutmeg
- ½ t salt
- A couple dashes of ground cloves
- 1 cup raw green pumpkin seeds
- 1 t canola oil
- ½ t salt
- ⅛ t cayenne pepper
Directions
- 1Set a water bath pan in the middle rack of the oven. Pan should be a few inches wider in diameter than the flan pan you will be using. A large roasting pan will usually do the trick. Shut oven door and heat to 350 degrees.
- 2Pour 1.5 cups sugar into a heavy-bottomed sauce pan and cook over medium heat. Watch carefully. As the sugar begins to melt stir occasionally with a clean spoon. When sugar is a deep caramel color take off the heat.
- 3Immediately pour caramel into bottom of a metal bundt pan. Swirl caramel around to evenly coat sides of the pan. Set aside to cool.
- 4Pour cream and milk into a 4-qt sauce pan and heat to a simmer. Remove from heat.
- 5In a large bowl, whisk eggs and yolks together. Add remaining 1.5 cups of sugar and whisk to combine. Stir in pumpkin, spices and salt and vanilla until well-mixed.
- 6Slowly whisk in hot cream to the egg and pumpkin mixture until thoroughly combined.
- 7Set a metal mesh sieve inside a bowl. Pour the pumpkin custard into the sieve, forcing the custard through the mesh with a wooden spoon.
- 8Pour the strained custard into the caramel-coated bundt pan. Place the bundt pan in the water bath in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Test for doneness, first by jiggling the pan. The custard should be mostly firm, but have a little movement. For the final test, insert a sharp knife. The flan is done if the knife point comes out clean.
- 9Carefully remove the bundt pan from the water bath. Be careful as the water bath is very hot. Allow the flan to cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate over night.
- 10When ready to serve, place your serving pate on top of the bundt pan and invert. Sprinkle toasted pumpkin seeds over top of flan.
