Pumpkin Flan

I pulled this recipe from the "Cooking Book Excerpt" section in the December edition of Martha Stewart Living. This edition's cookbook is Mad Hungry: Feeding Men & Boys, by Lucinda Scala Quinn. Quinn's recipes filled up 6 or 7 pages - all of which I plan to try. Her book is about being a working mother/wife and fixing meals for 4 hungry men every night.

I had a bunch of eggs that I wanted to use before we left for Thanksgiving, so I thought this recipe would be perfect - and very seasonal.

I was extremely happy with the way this turned out, especially because I had never made flan before. It was very smooth and creamy - and cooked perfectly even (I attribute that to the hot water bath). Hubby liked it too, but said it tasted more like a light pumpkin pie than the flan he had had in the past.

Pumpkin Flan

1/2 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 cup cooked pumpkin puree (I used Libby's)
1 1/2 cups half-and-half or cream (I used 3/4 cup heavy cream & 3/4 cup 2% milk)
5 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Put the granulated sugar in a 9-inch cake pan or pie plate, set on the center rack in the oven, and bake until the sugar is caramel colored, 8 to 12 minutes (It took my sugar 34 minutes to fully carmelize). Swirl to cover the bottom of the pie plate with the caramel.

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Stir in pumpkin puree. In a medium bowl, whisk together the half-and-half, eggs, and vanilla. Thoroughly blend the egg mixture into the pumpkin puree.

Set the pie plate in a large roasting pan, and pour the custard over the caramel. Carefully pour enough hot tap water into the roasting pan to reach halfway up the sides of the pie plate. Bake until the custard is set, about 1 hour and 10 minutes (I pulled mine out at 1 hour). Cool and chill in the refrigerator. Run a knife around the outside edge of the flan and invert it onto a rimmed plate. Cut into wedges or scoop and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.