Don't be alarmed by the words "crème brûlée". The pumpkin purée stablizes the cream mixture in this recipe from Bryan Voltaggio, chef of Charlie Palmer Steak and now proprietor of Volt in Frederick, to produce a dessert that's worth making long past Hallowe'en and the fall season.

Serves six - and he recommends serving it with biscotti.

4 cups pumpkin purée
2 cups milk
2 cups cream
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
9 egg yolks

Over low heat in a small saucepan, heat the pumpkin purée, nutmeg, cinnamon and half of the sugar. Cook for about seven to 10 minutes. Add the cream and milk and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly. Purée the mixture until it is very smooth and all
of the purée is incorporated into the liquid.

Strain the crème brûlée base through a fine sieve and cool in an ice-water bath. After it is cool, remove from the bath and add the egg yolks using a whisk until incorporated. Divide the base into ramekins or hollowed-out baby pumpkins, cover with aluminum foil and bake in a water bath (placing the ramekins or pumpkins in a large, shallow pan of warm water) at 250 degrees for approximately 45 minutes to one hour. The brûlée should be just set. Remove from the water bath and cool in a refrigerator.

Coat the top of each brûlée evenly with the rest of the sugar. Use a torch to caramelize it, repeating three times to get a nice, caramelized layer.

This recipe first appeared in the NorthWest Current. Photo Bill Petros/The Current. 

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