Description
This pumpkin spice crème brûlée is a simple and elegant fall dessert.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (make your own homemade blend!)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
- 4 tsp granulated sugar (for the burnt sugar topping)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees and place the ramekins in a baking dish that fits them comfortably. The dish must be deep enough to allow for the water bath to come halfway up the ramekins. I used a 9 x 13 cake pan for four 12 ounce ramekins and a square 9 x 9 for three 12 ounce ramekins (pictured). Set the pan of ramekins aside.
- Add the egg yolks, sugar and salt to a small, heatproof bowl and whisk vigorously until pale and slightly thicker. Set aside.
- Add the cream, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla extract and pumpkin puree to a saucepan or saucier and gently whisk over medium heat until scalded. There should be wisps of steam coming off of the surface, but it won’t be simmering yet.
- Temper the egg yolk/sugar mixture by whisking 1 cup of the hot pumpkin cream into the egg yolks. Pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the rest of the cream and stir gently over medium low heat for another 30 seconds.
- Divide the custard equally among the ramekins and add boiling water to the pan so that it rises halfway up the ramekins. Carefully place the pan of ramekins into the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of the ramekins. The custard is ready when the center jiggles slightly, like Jell-O that’s just about set.
- Remove the ramekins from the oven and let them rest in the water bath for another 10 minutes before carefully removing them to a cooling rack. Let them cool down to room temperature before chilling completely in the fridge. It will take at least 4 hours or overnight.
- Once the custard has completely set and chilled, evenly sprinkle a teaspoon of granulated sugar on top of each ramekin. Use a kitchen torch according to manufacturer’s instructions to carefully create a deep, dark golden crust from the sugar on top of each ramekin. Alternatively, use the broiler element of your oven on the “high” setting with the ramekins on a baking sheet, placed about 6 inches from the element. Keep a close eye on the ramekins as they spend time under the broiler and be ready to pull them out quickly once the sugar begins to crust and burn.
- Serve the crème brûlée within 30 minutes of creating the sugar crust. Ramekins that have a finished sugar crust won’t store well, so be sure to consume them the same day. Ramekins without the crust can be covered and stored for up to 3 more days in the fridge before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One 12 oz ramekin (1 cup custard with sugar topping)
- Calories: 393
- Sugar: 27.9 g
- Sodium: 175.6 mg
- Fat: 28.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 16.3 g
- Trans Fat: 0.7 g
- Carbohydrates: 30 g
- Fiber: 0.9 g
- Protein: 6.1 g
- Cholesterol: 344.5 mg