Spicy Pumpkin Flan Healthy Alternative To Pie Recipes

CUBAN PUMPKIN FLAN (A HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE TO PUMPKIN PIE) W/ MUL

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a heavy saucepan melt 1 cup sugar over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar is amber in color and has turned into a smooth liquid. Immediately remove the syrup from heat and pour evenly into the bottom of a heated 9-inch glass pie plate, 2-quart casserole dish, or a cake mold. (To heat the dish, pour hot or boiling water into it and let stand for a minute or two, then drain and dry completely before adding the sugar syrup.).
• In a heavy saucepan, bring the milk, pumpkin puree, cinnamon stick or spice mixture, and salt to a boil over medium heat and remove from heat immediately. Discard the cinnamon stick.
• In a large mixing bowl beat together the eggs, egg yolks, remaining sugar, and vanilla. While the beater is running, slowly add ½ cup of the hot milk mixture and beat until eggs are tempered, then slowly add the remaining hot milk.
• Pour the mixture into the dish over the hardened sugar syrup and place in a baking pan. Add hot water to halfway up the side of the dish. Place in oven and cook for 1 hour or until the custard has set.
• Carefully remove the baking pan from the oven and remove the flan dish from the hot water bath and allow to cool. While the flan is still warm, run a knife around the edge to loosen it.
• To remove flan, place a large, deep plate face down on top of the dish and invert the flan onto the plate. Make sure the plate is large enough to hold the flan and has enough of a well to hold the syrup.
• Flan can be served warm or chilled.
• Note: The flan can be prepared 2 days in advance and kept covered and refrigerated.

PUMPKIN FLAN WITH SPICED PUMPKIN SEEDS

Steps:

• Make caramel:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Heat soufflé dish in oven while making caramel.
• Cook 1 cup sugar in a dry 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, undisturbed, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar melts into a deep golden caramel. Wearing oven mitts, remove hot dish from oven and immediately pour caramel into dish, tilting it to cover bottom and side. (Leave oven on.) Keep tilting as caramel cools and thickens enough to coat, then let harden.
• Make flan:
• Bring cream and milk to a bare simmer in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, then remove from heat. Whisk together whole eggs, yolk, and remaining cup sugar in a large bowl until combined well, then whisk in pumpkin, vanilla, spices, and salt until combined well. Add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking.
• Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, scraping with a rubber spatula to force through, and stir to combine well. Pour custard over caramel in dish, then bake in a water bath until flan is golden brown on top and a knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours. Remove dish from water bath and transfer to a rack to cool. Chill flan, covered, until cold, at least 6 hours.
• Make spiced pumpkin seeds while flan chills:
• Toast pumpkin seeds in oil in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet (preferably cast-iron) over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Toss with salt and cayenne until coated.
• To serve:
• Run a thin knife between flan and side of dish to loosen. Shake dish gently from side to side and, when flan moves freely in dish, invert a large platter with a lip over dish. Holding dish and platter securely together, quickly invert and turn out flan onto platter. (Caramel will pour out over and around flan.) Sprinkle flan with spiced pumpkin seeds just before serving.

SPICY PUMPKIN PIE II

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C.)
• In a large bowl, combine pumpkin puree, milk, cream, brown sugar and white sugar. Mix in the cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, ginger and cloves. Beat in the flour and eggs. Pour filling into pie shell.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for 50 minutes, or until filling has set.