10547 Pumpkin Flan 2 hrs 25 mins 50 mins 8 servings Wed Aug 16 14:48:00 -0700 2006 Fri Nov 07 11:39:39 -0800 2008 Easy Cuban CHOW http://www.chow.com/recipes/10547 Fri, 07 Nov 2008 19:39:39 GMT A tasty take on the custardy dessert A tasty take on the custardy dessert. Randy Zweiban of Chicago’s Nacional 27 gave us this recipe. He serves it as a part of his Cuban Christmas menu, but it’s great anytime of year.

What to buy: Calabaza is also called West Indian pumpkin and can be found in some specialty produce markets. Canned pumpkin is a fine substitute.

]]> For the pumpkin:
  1. Heat oven to 325°F. In a large mixing bowl, combine the calabaza, butter, and spices. Turn onto a baking sheet and cook until the calabaza is fork tender, about 20 minutes.
  2. Purée the calabaza mixture and set aside. (If using the canned pumpkin, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.)
For the flan base:
  1. Whisk the egg yolks and eggs together until frothy; set aside. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, sugar, scraped vanilla beans, vanilla pod and salt and bring to a boil.
  2. Temper by whisking a portion of the cream mixture into the beaten eggs. Add the combined mixture back into the boiled cream and whisk thoroughly.
  3. Add the calabaza mixture and whisk to combine. Prepare an ice water bath by filling a bowl halfway with ice and water. Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve and cool over ice water bath.
For the caramel:
  1. Combine sugar, lemon juice, and 1 cup water in a medium saucepot over medium heat. With a wet pastry brush, wipe down the sides of the saucepan.
  2. Cook the caramel until it achieves an amber color. Remove from heat immediately.
To assemble:
  1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Set a medium pot of water over high heat to boil.
  2. Pour the caramel into 1/2-cup or 1-cup ramekins and immediately pour the caramel out so the cups are lined with caramel.
  3. Let the caramel harden in the ramekins, then fill the ramekins to three-quarters height with the flan.
  4. Create a water bath by putting the ramekins into a glass baking dish and then adding enough of the boiling water to two-thirds height of the ramekins.
  5. Cover the flan and bake until the flan sets (i.e., it will not jiggle), about 45 minutes. Serve in the cups with whipped cream.
]]> http://www.chow.com/assets/2006/09/rcp_pumpkinflan_290x210.jpg Randy Zweiban 54 Sweet/Dessert For the pumpkin::

]]> 314 1 pound calabaza pumpkin, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces; or 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée

]]> 279 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

]]> 308 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

]]> 264 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

]]> 308 1/8 teaspoon ground mace

]]> 281 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

]]> For the flan base::

]]> 7 large egg yolks

]]> 3 large whole eggs

]]> 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

]]> 1 cup whole milk

]]> 298 1 cup granulated sugar

]]> 292 1 vanilla pod, split lengthwise and scraped

]]> 301 1/8 teaspoon salt

]]> For the caramel::

]]> 298 2 cups granulated sugar

]]> 43 1/4 cup lemon juice

]]> 1 cup water

]]> 384 easy 393 exotic 745 ethnic 836 adventurous 374 cuban 694 latin 302 squash 184 vegetables 435 vegetarian 418 dairy 216 holiday 273 party 680 impressive 782 autumn 1046 cold weather 1037 randy zweiban 1615 nacional 27 762 chef 341 custard 301 pumpkin 19392 flan