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A Recipe: Pumpkin Custard for the Thanksgiving Table

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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.

pumpkin custard
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Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: about 6 servings
Pumpkin custard recipe featuring roasted pumpkin, vanilla and cream.
Ingredients
  • 1 pie pumpkin, (puree, about 2 cups)
  • 9 pastured egg yolks, (beaten)
  • 2 cups heavy cream, (not ultrapasteurized)
  • ½ cup unrefined cane sugar
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 dash unrefined sea salt
  • creme fraiche, whipped cream or double cream, (preferably raw, to serve)
Instructions
  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.

 

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What people are saying

  1. Hello,

    Just found your Web site, lucky me……..I too am always looking for healthier ways to eat. I am already a Coconut Oil fan, and I am truly looking forward to you weekly E-mails. have a great day, and Thank You Joan Montreal . Canada

  2. Hello again,

    Just noticed that I spelled my last name incorrectly,……….. in too much of a hurry to get my “Thank You ” off. Joan

  3. Can you sub coconut cream for the milk to make it GAPS legal? Just wondering. It looks like an amazing dish!

  5. Hi there Jenny,
    Thanks for this GORGEOUS recipe!! Yum!!
    So I’m totally going to make this but the only problem is I live in New Zealand and we don’t really have “pie pumpkins” here but I’m going to do some research and find the closest thing I can. Can not wait to try this!!! Will use our raw cream from organic, grass-fed Jersey’s–my mouth is already watering.

    • Rachel or Nan, when you find out a similar pumpkin to a “pie pumpkin”, please let me know. I am over in Australia in sunny Queensland 🙂 My mother in law uses a “grammar”(?) to make her pie/slice…perhaps this would work? It looks like a butternut, only bigger and I think, green skin. They are quite difficult to find. Never see them in the shops. She sources them from rural New South Wales through her green grocer 😉

      • Hi! I used to have the same problem trying to figure out the difference betweent the Aussi pumpkin and ours.
        The one you described, (which is delicious roasted isn’t it??!!) is a lot like butternut, so go for it!
        Jealous of you in sunny Qld!! We used to live there too, but now in Montana

      • Pie pumpkins are usually about one pound in size! Most recipes call for about 15 oz (one ounce leds than a pound).

        • In the USA, most recipes call for a 15 ounce can of pumpkin. I use one pound of either fresh pumpkin or butternut squash. Both vegetables are squash and tastes similar but butternutis usually sweeter!

          The reason for stating “pie” pumpkin may by the size of the pumpkin. Smaller one pound pumpkins are the perfect size for one pie, and are generally more flavorful!

  6. Jenny,
    I am thinking about making this dish for a Sunday lunch. Can I make the custard on Saturday night and bake it on Sunday morning? Thank you 🙂
    Maria

  7. I’m home today a little under the weather & awaiting the big storm — seems like a good day to try this. I love pumpkin pie & regular custard — sounds so yummy. I don’t have the option today for using fresh pumpkin — have you tried it with the not so great canned method?? What about butternut squash?

  8. What sort of pumpkin do you use (since the canned pumpkin is not the same type as the halloween pumpkins). Where I livein germany, I can easily source organic Hokaido pumpkins. Also, I just made a pumpkin custard last night using greek yoghurt instead of cream and raw honey instead of rapadura. It was absolutely delicious, and the yoghurt gave it a slightly different dimension!

  9. That looks lovely! I think I might just cook it on the stove top, as I don’t really care for the texture of baked custards. I bet it would make a very nice pudding.

  10. Hello Jenny,
    I’m new to this change in healthier eating habits, so I can use all the help I can get! I will have to use coconut milk in place of the heavy cream or is there something besides coconut milk/cream that offers the same consistency? Also, can I substitute stevia for the unrefined sugar? If so, how much stevia?
    Thanks so much! Looking forward to trying this for Thanksgiving. We have a very different menu this year!

  12. Hi, this looks so good. Have you or has anyone else tried to bake this as a pie filling? Would that work?

  14. Does this puff up? I want to adpt it in muffin cups and wondering how full to fill them before baking.

  16. Tasty custard! I subbed canned coconut milk (just the solid part) for the heavy cream to make it dairy free. I also skipped the thickening step and just put it in the oven with a pan of hot water beside it. Turned out very good!

  17. How come I didn’t see this when I was hunting the web a few months ago for pumpkin custard! Been looking for a nice way to flavor and use up eggs when my hens are laying prolifically. Now I find this when I’m down to only one or two eggs a day. Boo!

  18. I made this custard with raw milk and my own pastured eggs. I thought the texture turned out beautifully, but it needed more sweetener, salt and spice! I’m hoping to try it again with better flavor next time.

  21. I’m making this for Thanksgiving today and I’m wondering what the purpose of prethickening/preheating it is?