Tuesday, October 16, 2012

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...