Pumpkin is one of my favorite ingredients.  It is versatile and nutritious and can be used in sweet or salty dishes.  I have shared with you several recipes which include this fruit like Perfect Pumpkin Soup, Barrigas de Vieja and Pumpkin-Asparagus Risotto. Don’t hesitate to give this recipe a try on Thanksgiving Day and you will be thankful you did!

For more information on the history of Flan go to Flan de Vainilla recipe. Ah! Don’t forget to take a look at my post on what to do with all those leftovers in my post Thanksgiving Leftovers.

Pumpkin Flan

Ingredients

5 eggs

1 12 ounce can of evaporated milk

1  14 ounce can of condensed milk

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

4 cups of fresh pumpkin, cut into large uniform chunks or 2 cups canned pumpkin

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

generous pinch of ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Caramel

1 cup of sugar

1/4 cup of water

1.  Make caramel. In a heavy bottom small-medium saucepan, pour sugar and water and stir. Cook at low heat for about 15 minutes stirring frequently until sugar starts to get a golden brown color.  Do not raise heat for the caramel might get burned or too dark. Continue to stir with a spatula until it reaches a uniform color and all sugar is dissolved and clear. Please be patient and make this without distractions or children in the kitchen since caramel can cause serious burns on skin.  Once caramel is done, pour into mold and set aside.  I use a ring mold, but you may use any crystal or porcelain baking dish.

2.  Pre-heat oven to 350ºF. Cook pumpkin in a large sauce pan.  Boil or steam.

3.  Meanwhile, beat eggs, evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream cheese, cinnamon, vanilla extract and nutmeg.

4. Mash cooked and drained pumpkin and set aside if using fresh. It will yield approximately 2 cups. If using canned measure 2 cups.

5.  Add pumpkin to egg/milk mixture and beat.

6.  Pass mixture through a sieve/colander/chinois and stir pressing as much pumpkin pulp with a rubber spatula as you can until you have just a small amount of pulp left in colander, which you will discard.

7.  Stir mixture with a whisk and pour into mold with caramel.

8.  Place mold in a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with raised sides and place in the oven that has been pre-heated at 350ºF.  Once in the oven pour hot or warm water in the jelly roll pan to create a bain-marie so the flan cooks surrounded by water for 45 minutes.

9.  Remove from oven and from bain-marie and let cool.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving, preferably overnight.

10.  To serve, run a knife around the edges so that it doesn’t stick or break apart when unmolding into a serving plate.