Beki Cook's Cake Blog: Easy Pumpkin Creme Brulee {Recipe}

I love Creme Brulee. It is such a decadent, rich, perfect dessert.
I've long wanted to create a pumpkin creme brulee recipe for fall because it seems like that carmelized sugar yumminess on top is just the right flavor to go with spiced pumpkin.
This recipe did not disappoint.

What You Need:
2 cups half & half
1 tsp. vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
(OR 3/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. ground ginger, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/8 tsp. ground cloves)
2-3 Tbsp. granulated sugar

Yield: Six 1/2 cup custards

Prep:
Put a tea kettle on to boil. (You'll need 3-4 cups of water.)
Preheat the oven to 325-degrees (F).

In a small saucepan, combine half & half and vanilla. Put over medium-low heat to warm.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together 6 egg yolks, pumpkin puree, spices and brown sugar.

When the half & half mixture is just hot enough to have bubbles around the outside edge of the pan, but is not boiling (it can curdle), remove from the heat. Pour in a thin stream into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly.

When well-combined, you can skim off the bubbles with a small spoon or spatula.

Pour into 6 oven-safe ramekins arranged in a 9x13 cake pan or a roasting pan.

Set the pan on the oven rack, and pour the boiling water into the pan-- being careful not to get the water into any custards.
Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes.

Remove ramekins from the pan individually and place onto a cooling rack.
!! Do not try to move the pan filled with boiling water and the ramekins. One of two things could happen... you could get water into the custards, or more importantly, if any water were to spill, you'd burn the heck out of yourself!!
Refrigerate for three hours to overnight.

When you're ready to serve the creme brulee, sprinkle 2-3 tsp. granulated sugar over the top, evenly.

Using a kitchen torch, carmelize the sugar until it's bubbling and light brown. I usually use a medium heat setting, and move the torch constantly... if you try to do any one spot at a time, I've found that you tend to burn the whole thing.
(Also, see those little black spots? That's where I didn't get sugar covered, so the top of the custard itself burned.)