Photo by Earl Schwartz
For pumpkin pie lovers, Thanksgiving weekend is a real treat. But why only enjoy the taste only occasionally? Pumpkins are packed with nutrition – beta carotene, B vitamins and minerals like magnesium and potassium, to name a few.
Here’s a pumpkin custard – with a hard creme brûlée-like caramel topping you can make all year long – with only half the calories of a slice of pumpkin pie.
Serve with fresh fruit and/ or cookies like biscotti. If you like you can easy double the recipe but be sure to use a larger pan to place the custard cups.
Pumpkin Custard
Serves 4
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 cup (250 mL) canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup (125 mL) evaporated 2% or skim milk
1/4 cup (50 mL) packed brown sugar
1 large egg, (lightly beaten with egg yolk)
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp (1 mL) ground ginger
pinch ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp (2 mL) pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp (1 mL) salt
8 tsp (40 mL) sifted brown sugar
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Coat 4 175-mL custard cups with nonstick vegetable oil spray.
In large bowl, whisk together pumpkin purée, evaporated milk, 1/4 cup (50 mL) brown sugar, egg, egg yolk, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, vanilla and salt until smooth.
Spoon pumpkin mixture evenly into prepared cups. Place cups in an 8-inch x 8-inch /20 x 20-cm baking pan. Add hot water to pan to depth of 1 inch (2.5 cm). Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in centre comes out clean. Remove custard cups from pan. Let cool slightly.
Preheat broiler. Sprinkle 2 tsp (10 mL) brown sugar evenly over each custard cup. Place cups back in pan and then under broiler; broil until sugar is bubbling and no longer crystalline. Remove from oven and carefully remove cups from pan. Refrigerate, uncovered, until cool.
Nutritional information per serving
• Calories: 156
• Protein: 5 g
• Fat: 2 g
• Saturated fat: 1 g
• Carbohydrate: 28 g
• Dietary Fibre: 2 g
• Sodium: 110 mg
© Rosie Schwartz
Enlightened Eater 
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