Pumpkin Flan with Chile-Spiced Brittle

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Pumpkin Flan with Chile-Spiced Brittle

 

For the pumpkin flan:

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup pumpkin purée

3/4 cup sugar

4 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

1 stick Mexican cinnamon (canela), 1/8 ounce in weight

1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and seeds scraped

2 inches fresh ginger, sliced

1/2 teaspoon Ancho chile powder

2 whole cloves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

 

For the spiced brittle:

1 cup sugar

1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar

1/4 cup butter, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon Ancho chile powder

pinch salt

3/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds

 

8 1-cup ramekins

 

Prepare the pumpkin flan:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter ramekins and

line them up on a flat baking sheet.

Combine 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water in a small

saucepan and stir with your hand to make a wet, sandy

sugar. Bring the sugar to a boil over medium heat and

continue boiling until it turns deep amber, without

stirring, but swirling the pan occasionally to evenly

distribute the color, about 10 minutes. Immediately

remove from heat and carefully pour the caramel into

the bottom of the ramekins, evenly distributing

between all eight.

Caramel can go from a lovely amber color to a black

dangerous mess in an instant. Always watch it

carefully as it gets darker, and never walk away. It

takes a little practice to consistently get the exact

color you’re looking for, but you will quickly get the

hang of it. Remember to always be careful of hot

sugar, as it can cause the most painful burns.

Combine the milk, heavy cream, ginger, cinnamon,

vanilla bean and spices in a medium saucepan; bring to

a simmer and steep for 15 minutes. In a large bowl,

beat the eggs lightly. Add the sugar, salt and pumpkin

purée and whisk to blend. Slowly temper the hot milk

mixture into the egg mixture. Whisk to fully combine,

and strain the entire mixture through a fine meshed

sieve twice, discarding solids.

Evenly pour this mixture into the ramekins over the

hardened caramel. Carefully move the baking sheet

(with filled ramekins) into the preheated oven. Pour

warm water into the baking sheet to come halfway up

the sides of the ramekins, to bake in a water bath.

Cover with another baking sheet or loosely with foil

and bake for about 45 minutes, until the custard is

set and a knife inserted near center comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely in water

bath. Remove from water bath and refrigerate until

very cold, at least 4-6 hours.

The longer you allow the custard to remain chilled in

the refrigerator, the better chance that you will have

a nice liquid caramel sauce once you unmold the flans.

Sugar will absorb liquid, but needs time; if served

before the flans have time to set, the finished

product may have a solid disc at the top of the flan.

If you can leave them to rest overnight, you will not

have to worry about this.

Prepare the spiced brittle: Prepare a flat baking

sheet with parchment, wax paper or a non-stick silpat.

Mix together the sugar and the cream of tartar and

place in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat,

and continue, occasionally swirling the pan, until it

turns a deep amber. Once it has reached a dark caramel

color, add the butter, vanilla, salt and Ancho chile

powder, whisking continuously to completely emulsify.

Mix in the toasted pumpkin seeds and spread out evenly

onto the prepared baking sheet (try to get the brittle

to be an even 1/4 to 1/2 inch layer). Allow to cool

and harden for at least 1 hour. Break into pieces and

set aside.

If the caramel hardens too quickly and becomes

difficult to spread, just place the baking sheet in a

400 degree heated oven for 30 seconds to 1 minute and

it will become pliable again.

To unmold the flans, run a knife around the edge of

the custard to loosen. Dip the outer edge of the

ramekins in hot water for a few seconds for easier

release. Place a dish on top of the custard, invert

the custard onto the dish and shake gently to release

the flan. Carefully remove the ramekin, allowing the

caramel to run over the flan and onto the plate.

Repeat with each flan to unmold. Garnish with pieces

of the spiced brittle. Serves 8.

 

 

 

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