Pumpkin Pot de Creme with Dark Chocolate Bats

  

photo by Mel Barlow

                                                                              
                                                                                                                                               
The custard part...

1 cup heavy cream

3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
7 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cardamom1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
Special equipment: 10 (2- to 3-oz) custard cups or ramekins

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Whisk together cream, milk, syrup, and pumpkin in a heavy saucepan and bring just to a simmer over moderate heat.

Whisk together yolks, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl.

Add hot pumpkin mixture to yolks in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup, then divide among custard cups (you may have some custard left over, depending on size of cups). Bake custards in a hot water bath, pan covered tightly with foil, in middle of oven until a knife inserted in center of a custard comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer custards to a rack to cool completely. Chill, covered, until cold, at least 2 hours.

The cookie part...

• 
  Cookie
  
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 
  Filling
  
  • 4 ounces dark chocolate (at least 70 percent cacao), finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Make the cookies: Whisk together flour, cocoa, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, beating to combine. Shape dough into 2 disks, wrap each in plastic, and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.

Working with 1 disk at a time, roll out dough to 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using a bat shaped cutter, cut out cookies. (Return dough to freezer if it softens.) Space bats 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Brush off excess flour.

Bake cookies, rotating sheets once, until edges are firm, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer cookies, on parchment, to a wire rack, and let cool completely.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Place chocolate in a medium bowl. Heat cream, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar and salt dissolve. Pour over chocolate. Let stand for 10 minutes. Gently stir until smooth. Let stand until firm enough to spread, about 15 minutes

Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons filling on half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies. (Assembled cookies can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.)