Pumpkin Flan
Crème caramel fans will love this delicious, spiced pumpkin flan recipe.
This pumpkin flan is a wonderful, seasonal version of the classic crème caramel. It will look fabulous on any Thanksgiving dinner table and beats the pants off the usual pumpkin pie dessert.
The custard in my version is sugar-free and can even be made dairy-free to suit for ovo-lacto vegetarians. If you have no dietary restrictions, feel free to substitute the monk fruit sweetener with granulated sugar. This will markedly increase the calorie count for this dessert however.
I prefer to serve this garnished with simple pepitas, but my coconut whipped cream is another outstanding option for toppings.
Ingredients
(Makes 8 servings)
1 cup monk fruit sweetener (or granulated sugar)
2 tablespoons water
5 large eggs
1, 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup monk fruit sweetener (or granulated sugar)
1 can (398ml) real pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1, 1/2 cups milk (non-dairy or lactose-free if needed)
1/4 cup pepitas (optional garnish)
Directions
Preheat oven to 300°F / 150°C. Place a tube pan or flan pan into a larger, deeper baking dish then set aside.
In a saucepan over medium heat, add the cup of monk fruit sweetener and water. Stir continuously while the mixture cooks to a deep amber colour. Transfer the melted sweetener to the tube pan to form an even layer. Again, set aside.
In large mixing bowl, add the eggs, pumpkin spice, salt, and remaining monk fruit sweetener. Whisk until well combined. Add the pumpkin purée and vanilla extract then continue mixing until smooth.
In a saucepan over medium heat, add the milk. Heat until it begins steaming and just bubbling. Remove from the heat and set aside for 15 minutes before slowly whisking the warm milk into the egg and pumpkin mixture. Pour the custard into the tube pan over the sweetener.
Set the baking pan containing the tube pan into the oven then add hot water to the baking pan until it reaches about halfway up the outside of the tube pan. Cover the baking pan with aluminium foil and bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the flan has set.
Carefully remove the tube pan from the oven and set aside to cool to room temperature before covering and refrigerating for 4 to 6 hours.
Before serving, loosen the sides of the flan with a knife, if necessary, then invert onto a plate and remove the tube pan. Garnish with pepitas (optional) and serve.
Nutritional Information Per Serving:
total calories = 82 | total fat = 3.54g | saturated fat = 1.23g | cholesterol = 123.75mg | sodium = 138mg | net carbohydrates = 35.61g | dietary fibre = 1.72g | sugars = 4.01g | protein = 6.1g
