Pumpkin custard, faintly sweet and deeply nourishing, finds its way to our Thanksgiving table each year.  One of my favorite desserts, pumpkin custard is suitable for those who adhere to gluten- or grain-free diets, serving as a perfect and elegant substitute for classic pumpkin pie.  I love the gentle sweetness, the rich and creamy texture of a good custard.  It’s a humble food, but elegant, too. A basic custard of egg yolks, cream and a sweetener is lovely on its own, the inclusion of fresh pumpkin puree elevates the simple dessert beyond its common roots into something extraordinary.

A lovely, seasonal food, there’s nothing quite like fresh pumpkin.  While I cherish the first strawberries of spring, the fuzzy and sweet peaches of summer, it is the pumpkins and hard-shell squashes of autumn that make my heart sing.  From the green and knobby kabochas to the striated carnival squashes, I love them all, but it’s pumpkin with its sweet orange flesh that calls to me – and loudly, too.  Pumpkin, like all winter squashes, is a nourishing food – rich in carotenes, particularly beta-cryptoxanthin which may provide some element of protection against cancer.  A study of over 60,000 Chinese found that those who consumed the most beta-cryptoxanthin enjoyed a 27% decrease in the risk for lung cancer.  Of course, pumpkin, like most vegetables, is best served with abundant, nourishing fats which help the human body to better absorb its antioxidants and vitamins.

In any dish featuring pumpkin puree, from pumpkin custards like the below recipe, butternut squash soups or those beloved pumpkin pies, it’s best to start with a fresh pumpkin – splitting, seeding and roasting it yourself.  Not only will the flavor of roasted pumpkin puree taste better than canned versions, but it will also offer a better array of nutrients and your body certainly won’t miss the endocrine-disruption bisphenol-A which lines so many cans of food.  Learn how to split, seed, roast and puree a pumpkin in the video tutorial at the bottom of this post.  This recipe for pumpkin custard, and over 175 other holiday favorites are included in Happy & Healthy Holidays, a new series at Nourished Kitchen.

Pumpkin Custard

Gently sweet and deeply nourishing, this pumpkin custard calls to memory the flavors of classic pumpkin pie, but without all the fuss of a crust.  Those who must adhere to a dairy-free diet either by necessity or choice would do well to substitute coconut milk for heavy cream in this dessert.  This recipe is featured in the new holiday cooking series at Nourished Kitchen which offers nine lessons (plus a bonus lesson on Thanksgiving), thirty holiday menus, twenty-five video tutorials and more than 175 nourishing recipes that can help you transform your holiday favorites into wholesome, healthy recipes.  Learn more about the class, or register today.

Ingredients for Pumpkin Custard

• the puree of 1 pie pumpkin, about 2 cups (see video)
• 9 pastured egg yolks, beaten
• 2 cups heavy cream, not ultrapasteurized
• 1/2 cup unrefined cane sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• dash unrefined sea salt
• creme fraiche, whipped cream or double cream, preferably raw, to serve

Equipment for Pumpkin Custard

• mixing bowl
• whisk
• double boiler OR saucepan fitted with a metal or glass bowl
• wooden spoon
• custard or souffle dish

Method for Preparing Pumpkin Custard

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Whisk pumpkin puree, nine beaten egg yolks, two cups heavy cream with one-half cup unrefined cane sugar, one-half teaspoon ground cinnamon, one-quarter teaspoon ground nutmeg, one teaspoon vanilla extract and a dash unrefined sea salt.
3. Bring about two inches of water to boil in a double boiler or saucepan fitted with a bowl, and stir the custard continuously until thick enough to coat a spoon.
4. Pour the thickened custard into a baking our souffle dish and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit about thirty to forty minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the custard’s center comes out clean.
5. Serve warm with creme fraiche, whipped cream or double cream.

YIELD: about 6 servings.
TIME: 20 minutes (active), 30 to 40 minutes (baking)
VARIATIONS: Substitute coconut milk for cream.  Substitute maple sugar for whole unrefined cane sugar (AKA sucanat, rapadura).