Pumpkin Pots de Creme

There’s nothing that fells more like fall in a bowl than these pumpkin pots de creme! They’re creamy, pumpkiny, just sweet enough, and actually pretty good for you. Its a fairly easy recipe you’ll want on repeat this fall!

To be honest, I wanted to make this because I know how amazing egg yolks are for pregnancy, but I have not been able to stomach eggs very well. I needed a recipe that I would love and that would also be really good for me and baby. In the book Real Food for Pregnancy by Lily Nichols, she publishes a recipe for maple pots de creme. I loved the idea of it being basic, but I wanted something for fall, so I adapted her recipe to make it a nutrient dense sweet treat that would be good for me and baby.

This has cream from our cows’ milk, egg yolks that I sourced locally, pumpkin (which is rich in calcium, potassium, magnesium and fiber), and maple syrup as a sweetener. The great ingredients make this a healthy after meal treat!

You can definitely make this into pumpkin creme brulee by sprinkling a little sugar on top and torching it. Does it make this less healthy? Yes. But does it also take it to that next level of deliciousness? Absolutely.

Pumpkin Pots De Creme

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of cream

• 1/3 cup of maple syrup

• 6 large egg yolks

• 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• 1/4 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (plus more for dusting which I forgot to do in for the pictures)

• 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a small sauce pan, heat the cream and maple syrup until it simmers, stirring occasionally. Once it reaches a simmer, shut the heat off. While it is working up to a simmer, whisk together the egg yolks, pumpkin, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.

Temper the yolk mixture by adding small amounts of the hot cream mixture in at a time while whisking constantly. This will keep the egg yolks from scrambling. Once you temper in about 1/4 of the cream mixture, you can pour the rest of the cream into the yolk mixture while still whisking constantly.

Strain the custard mixture through a fine mesh strainer into another container ideally with a pouring spout. There may be some pumpkin solids left behind; that’s okay.

Pour the stained custard mixture into ramekins (about 6 4 ounce ramekins). Place the ramekins into a baking dish with high sides. Pour enough water into the baking dish so that the water comes up about half way up the outside of the ramekins. Carefully place into the oven being sure not to splash any water into the the custard. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the custard just barely jiggles in the middle. Remove the ramekins from the hot water bath and let them cool to room temperature. Place them in the fridge until cold.

For simple pots de creme, go ahead and enjoy! For creme brulee, sprinkle sugar over the top of the custard. Using a small torch, toast the sugar until it is caramelized. Enjoy right after!