Pumpkin Creme Brulee
It’s cooling down in the provinces and time for some Autumnal soup recipes. Pumpkin is a super food, so that lets us feel just a little bit good about desserts which include e it — but this is not a low-calorie recipe. Diner beware — but enjoy this wonderful Pumpkin Creme Brulee, courtesy of the Hockley Valley Resort in Ontario.
Servings: 8 Servings
Calories: 463kcal
Looking to serve your guests a sweet treat this holiday season? Give our Pumpkin Crème Brulée a try! Hockley Valley Resort in Ontario serves this guest-favorite treat in its restaurant.
Ingredients
Pumpkin Creme Brulee
- 24 oz heavy cream
- 8 oz. pumpkin purée (not spiced)
- 6 oz. sugar (we used Splenda Blend for Baking to reduce calories)
- A pinch of salt
- 1 vanilla bean
- 8 egg yolks beaten
- 8 teaspoons granulated sugar
Pumpkin Seed Brittle
- ½ teaspoon vegetable oil
- 4 oz pumpkin seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 ounces granulated sugar
- 8 oz water
Instructions
Pumpkin Creme Brulee
- Combine the cream, pumpkin purée, 3 oz of Splenda Blend for Baking and the salt in a non-reactive sauce pan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring gently with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat.
- Split the vanilla bean, scrape seeds from the pod, add both the pod and the seeds to the pan. Cover and steep for 15 minutes, off the heat.
- Return the cream mixture to the stove and bring to a boil.
- Thoroughly beat and blend the egg yolks with the remaining 3 oz of Splenda Blend Sugar, in a separate bowl, off the stove.
- Temper the eggs by gradually adding to the bowl of eggs, small portions of the hot cream, stirring constantly with a whisk, until you've added about 1/3 of the cream mixture.
- Now you can add the remaining hot cream (2/3 of the remaining batch) all at once.
- Strain the custard and ladle it into 8 ramekins, filling them 3/4 full.
- Bake the ramekins in a water bath at 325° until just set, 20-25 minutes.
- Remove the custards from the water bath and wipe the ramekins dry. Refrigerate until fully chilled.
- To finish, evenly coat each custard’s surface with a thin layer of regular granulated sugar. Use a propane torch to melt and caramelize the sugar.
Pumpkin Seed Brittle (courtesy of Alton Brown)
- Place the oil and seeds into a 10-inch saute pan and set over medium-high heat. Toast the seeds while constantly moving the pan. You will smell their aroma and hear some of them begin to crackle when they are toasted, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the seeds to a small mixing bowl, add the cinnamon and salt and stir to combine.
- Line a half sheet pan with a silicone baking mat.
- Place a 3-quart saucier inside a large cast iron skillet. Add the sugar and water to the saucepan, and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until it comes to a boil. Stop stirring, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Uncover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until the sugar is a light amber color, approximately 25 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the pumpkin seed mixture. This will greatly reduce the temperature of the sugar, so work quickly. Once evenly mixed, pour the mixture onto the prepared half sheet pan. Using an oiled spatula, spread thin. You will have to work quickly when pouring out and spreading the mixture in the pan.
- Cool completely, approximately 30 minutes, and then break into pieces. Serve a piece on each creme brulee. Store any remainder in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Spa Index Kitchen Notes
You can skip the entire brittle process, and just toast the seeds with a little sugar and cinnamon, in a pan, until the sugar caramelizes a bit, and serve these loose, sweetened and toasted seeds as a garnish, instead.
Tried this recipe?Mention or tag @SpaIndex so we can share!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 Serving | Calories: 463 kcal (23%) | Carbohydrates: 23 g (8%) | Protein: 5 g (10%) | Fat: 37 g (57%) | Saturated Fat: 22 g (138%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.9 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11 g | Cholesterol: 306 mg (102%) | Sodium: 43 mg (2%) | Potassium: 85 mg (2%) | Fiber: 1.3 g (5%) | Sugar: 21 g (23%) | Vitamin A: 5300 IU (106%) | Vitamin C: 1.2 mg (1%) | Calcium: 84 mg (8%) | Iron: 0.5 mg (3%)