Recipe for cooking pumpkin flan

Recipes from Mexico :: Mexican Desserts

Mix together pumpkin purée, cinnamon and cloves in a large mixing bowl. Pour in evaporated milk, condensed milk and vanilla extract; mix well. Next stir in the eggs, one at a time, and then the 1/4 c. sugar. Mix until all the ingredients are well blended.

Cook the 1 c. sugar in a small heavy saucepan or copper caramelizing pot over med. heat. Stir constantly until the sugar turns a honey color. As the sugar begins to dissolve, stir only occasionally. Once it dissolves, continue cooking without stirring until the caramelized sugar is deep amber in color. The color will change rapidly, so watch the saucepan carefully. Immediately after you remove the caramelized sugar from the burner, pour it into six (6 ounce) individual custard c. or an 8-in. soufflé dish. Quickly tilt the c. or dish in various directions so that the caramelized sugar coats the bottom and sides.

Carefully pour the pumpkin mixture into the custard c. or soufflé dish, and then place them in a water bath, any shallow pan large enough to hold the custard c. or soufflé dish with room to spare and filled with 1 in. of hot water. Bake the flan on the middle rack in a preheated 350 degrees fahrenheit oven for 40 mins. for the custard c. and 1 hour and 20 mins. for the soufflé dish, or until a knife inserted comes out clean.

Remove the flan from the oven and carefully lift the c. or dish from the water bath. Allow the flan to cool to room temperature, and then chill it in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Unmold the flan by first running a non-serrated knife along the inside edge of the c. or dish. Next invert the flan onto individual plates or a serving platter. The caramelized sugar syrup will cascade over the flan.

If the flan was made in a soufflé dish, cut it into 6 wedges. Garnish each portion with some of the sugar syrup and a biscochito. Serve at once.