'Tis the Season for Pumpkin

Here’s a little secret:  I post recipes here so I can find them again.  If you find them too, that’s fine with me.

As we were sitting around talking about what to cook for Thanksgiving, my son mentioned the pumpkin flan he had made last year and I drew a blank, despite the fact that he also mentioned it was our favorite dessert.  

Fortunately his memory is almost perfect and he immediately pulled the New York Times Cookbook off the shelf and opened it up to the recipe.  So of course it was on the menu again this year.

Cinnamon Pumpkin Flan

1-1/4 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup pureed cooked pumpkin

5 large eggs, lightly beaten

1-1/2 cups undiluted evaporated milk

1/3 cup water

1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Melt 1/2 cup of the sugar over low heat until the sugar forms a golden syrup.  Stir constantly to prevent burning.  Pour immediately into a souffle dish or a 9-inch pie plate, turning and rolling pan from side to side to coat with caramel  Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine 3/4 cup of the remaining sugar with the salt and cinnamon.  Add pumpkin and eggs.  Mix well.  Stir in the evaporated milk, the water, and the vanilla.  Mix well and turn into the caramel-coated pan.  Set in a pan filled with 1/2” of water.  Bake for 1-1/4 hours,  or until a knife inserted in the center of the filling comes out clean.  Cool and chill.

To serve, run a spatula around the sides of the pan.  Turn flan out onto a serving plate.  Cut into wedges.  Combine the whipped cream with the remaining sugar and the ginger and serve as a topping.

This is a winning dessert worth repeating every year!