This baked custard is a cross between a pumpkin pie without the pie crust and a crème brûlée without most of the fat. The average baked pumpkin custard or pumpkin crème brûlée has a whopping 20 grams of total fat. My version weighs in with 3.5 g of total fat.
But aside from the fact that this cheater brûlée is a cinch to make, tastes fantastic, and is low in both calories and fat, its real claim to fame is that you have to make it the day before which will make your Thanksgiving Day much less stressful.
You’ll need 4 ramekins for baking the custard. Ramekins are small, usually glazed, ceramic baking dishes that can be purchased at most kitchen stores.
3/4 cup (175 mL) evaporated skim milk
1/2 cup (125 mL) canned pure pumpkin purée
1/4 cup (60 mL) pure maple syrup
2 Tbsp (30 mL) dark brown sugar
1 tsp (5 mL) ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp (.5 mL) ground nutmeg
Pinch of cloves
1/4 tsp (1 mL) pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Put a kettle on to boil with approx. 2 cups (500 mL) water.
Combine evaporated milk, pumpkin, maple syrup, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and vanilla in blender and process till well combined. Add eggs and process until smooth. Set aside so any bubbles on the top of the mixture settle, approximately 5 minutes.
Divide the mixture evenly between 4 – 6 oz (150 g) ramekins. Place ramekins into 8 x 8 in (2 L) baking pan, preferably a metal one; add boiling water to pan so water comes halfway up the sides of ramekins.
Carefully place pan into oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the custard has set. Remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack. Cover each ramekin and refrigerate overnight. Serve as is or with a dollop of whipped cream on top. Makes 4 servings.
*Use pumpkin purée not pumpkin pie filling. You can either buy it canned or make your own.
Each serving contains (without whipped cream): 173 calories; 8.4 g protein; 3.5 g total fat (1 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 29 g carbohydrates; 8 g fibre; 107.5 mg sodium
For a less sweet version of the Baked Pumpkin Custard, omit the brown sugar.
source: "Thanksgiving Dinner Made Easy", alive #324, October 2009
Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork. Variation: If you prefer to make single servings, follow our lead at the restaurant, where we make individual tourtières in the form of a dome (pithivier) and fill them with 5 ounces (160 g) of the ground venison mixture. Variation: You can also use a food processor to make the dough. Place the flour, salt, and butter in the food processor and pulse about ten times, until the butter is incorporated—don’t overmix. It should look like wet sand, and a few little pieces of butter here and there is okay. With the motor running, through the feed tube, slowly add ice water until the dough forms a ball—again don’t overmix. Wrap, chill, and roll out as directed above.
My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.
Cervelle de canut is basically the Boursin of France, an herbed fresh farmer’s cheese spread that’s a speciality of Lyon. The name is kind of weird, as it literally means “silk worker’s brain,” named after nineteenth-century Lyonnaise silk workers, who were called canuts. Sadly, the name reflects the low opinion of the people towards these workers. Happily for us, though, it’s delicious—creamy, fragrant, and fresh at the same time. Cervelle de canut is one of my family’s favourite dishes. It’s a great make-ahead appetizer that you can pop out of the fridge once your guests arrive. Use a full-fat cream cheese for the dish, or it will be too runny and less delicious.