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Spiced Pumpkin Creme Brulee
• 1 15 ounce can pureed pumpkin
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ cup golden brown sugar
• ½ cup white sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
• ¼ teaspoon Allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 vanilla bean
• 3 cups whipping cream
Preheat oven at 325º F. Combine pumpkin, salt and spices to a bowl. Add egg yolks and both sugars. Whisk well to combine wet ingredients. Scrape vanilla beans using the non-cutting edge of a knife, add to pumpkin mixture. (reserving the vanilla bean pod). In a saucepan add 3 cups of heavy cream and vanilla bean pod. Bring to a gentle simmer. Preheat oven to 325° F Remove vanilla pod from heavy cream. Slowly add a bit of the warm cream to the pumpkin mixture to temper the eggs and stir. Add the remaining warmed cream slowly continuing to stir and combine. Pour pumpkin custard mixture into 4 large ramekins or 8 small ramekins, filling about ¾ from the top of the ramekin. Place filled ramekins into a baking dish that is deep enough to add boiling water halfway up the side of the ramekin. Carefully put water filled baking dish into a preheated 325°F oven. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove baked crème brûlée from water bath and place on a cooling rack and refrigerate for 2 hours allowing the custard to set. Prior to serving, remove crème brûlée from refrigerator, sprinkle the top with sugar covering the entire surface. Caramelize the sugar using a culinary torch.
Serve immediately.
If your recipe uses real vanilla beans (which add deep, complex flavor), a paring knife is perfect for:
Splitting the bean down the center cleanly
Scraping out the seeds (the caviar) without wasting any
A chef’s knife is too bulky for this delicate work, but the paring knife gives you the finesse you need.
If you’re making the custard with fresh roasted pumpkin (instead of canned purée), a paring knife helps:
Peel or remove tough skin left after roasting
Trim small bits or imperfections with precision
When it’s time to finish and serve:
Slice tiny garnishes (like micro herbs, thin apple slices, or candied nuts)
Trim any set custard edges for a cleaner look in the ramekins
Need to loosen the brûlée from the ramekin edge before caramelizing or plating? The paring knife does it cleanly without damaging the custard.
A paring knife gives you precision and control—which is exactly what you want when working with small details in a delicate dessert like crème brûlée. It might not do the heavy lifting, but it makes everything look and taste more refined.
