Pumpkin Custards

What’s not to love about pumpkin custards? They are creamy and velvety and are almost the cheat’s version of pumpkin pie, yet they look so sophisticated and fancy that they are the perfect dessert for a Thanksgiving dinner.

And these pumpkin custards are as patriotic and traditional as they come.

I found this recipe in a little cookbook when I went to visit my brother a couple of years back in Boston. At the time, he was studying his MBA at MIT. He landed that spot in Sloan like a boss with a scholarship might I add.

I usually start showing off when it comes to either one of my brothers. They are all that and a bag of chips. When it comes to Mr. MIT, I can safely say that he is the smartest and most generous man on earth, and probably the most handsome one too. I hope he’s not reading this because it will most likely get to his head.

Anyways on that trip, we went on a little road trip to Maine. The kind that you take when you are determined to find the best lobster roll out there. Somewhere along the way, we stopped in the cutest little shop in Maine, where I found a little gem of a book called The early American Cookbook.

If you’re not new to this blog, you probably already know that I collect cookbooks and that I have a particular thing for old or historic cookbooks even more. I’m quite fascinated by the history of what we ate and why we ate it.

The Early American Cookbook does not disappoint. It includes Martha Washington’s favorite recipes as well as recipes enjoyed but the likes of Sitting Bull and Billy the Kid. But most importantly, it includes Timothy Pickering’s Pumpkin Custard recipe.

These silky smooth Pumpkin custards are the perfect dessert for Thanksgiving. I urge you to make them this year. I promise you that after one spoonful, you will be won over. I mean, who wants pumpkin pie when you can have these beauties instead?

I have to admit I'm not the biggest fan of pumpkin pie. There I said it. It's not that I don't like it, it's more that I don't LOVE it as much as most people do. While I'm at it, I'm just going to say that marshmallows should only make a debut on hot chocolate or smores, please don't add them to pie.

In my humble opinion, flaky pie crust should hold fruit, preferably with some zing to it, and not custardy fillings, even on Thanksgiving. It's just how I was raised. If you want to take it up with someone, talk to my mother.

Now that that's out in the open, I can say I have nothing against pumpkin pie filling as such. I find pumpkin and pumpkin spice to be a great addition to any creamy dessert or hot beverage.

Another thing you should know about me is that I am also extremely partial to anything creamy and custardy. Crème brûlée, crème caramel, and pots de crème are probably my favorite desserts. Yes, I know, lots of French cream desserts, but can you really blame me?

So naturally, I would be drawn to these pumpkin custards. Let's face it, they are just pumpkin-flavored pots de crème laced with the most wonderful of all the spice combinations out there, pumpkin spice. So now you know why I'm so biased towards Timothy Pickering's Pumpkin Custards.

By now you must be wondering who this Pumpkin custard guy is.

Timothy Pickering was a brilliant lawyer, yet he was most notably known for his political career.

By the time he was 30, he was an American Militia colonel. He also happened to be the guy that led the first armed resistance against British troops in 1775 in his hometown of Salem.

Less than a year later, he joined Washington in New Jersey with his regiment of 700 men. He became so close to Washington that he was appointed Secretary of war and later Secretary of State a position.

Once Independence had been achieved, Timothy Pickering became well known for being an ardent anglophile. This particular position got him dismissed during the height of the Quasi-war as he favored close diplomatic relations with England and a declaration of war with France.

The Quasi-war was an undeclared war between the US and France. Tensions escalated when the US refused to pay a loan it had received from Louis XVI to finance the war of Independence, arguing that it had received a loan from the King himself and not France. The fact that the US and Britain, France’s historical sworn enemy, had strengthened their commercial ties only infuriated France even more. Battles were fought for two years at sea.

Pickering continued to show support for Britain all through the complex political and diplomatic tensions he lived through such as the Embargo Act of 1807, in which the US declared an embargo on all foreign trade ships, the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812.

During the War of 1812 Pickering rallied discontent politicians to Hartford Convention from there he became the spokesperson for the New England secession movement.

His unsuccessful attempts to establish an independent New England ended his political career. Once he retired from the political limelight Timothy Pickering moved back to his native Salem where he lived and worked as a farmer for the rest of his days.

I can only assume that during his farmer days Timothy Pickering would gather around a large dining table with his family and friends to enjoy his delicious pumpkin custard pots, with a lovely vigorous fire crackling in the fireplace.

Pumpkin Custardshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=foajMV7w_loCreamy and velvety pumpkin custards that are so easy to make they're almost like a cheat's version of pumpkin pie, yet so sophisticated and fancy that they are the perfect dessert for an elegant dinner.

Yield: 6

Author: Michelle Bessudo

Pumpkin Custard

prep time: 10 Mcook time: 35 Mtotal time: 45 M

Creamy and velvety pumpkin custards that are so easy to make they're almost like a cheat's version of pumpkin pie, yet so sophisticated and fancy that they are the perfect dessert for an elegant dinner.

ingredients:

For the Pumpkin custards

225 g (1 cup) pumpkin purée
3 large eggs, well beaten
150 g (3/4 cups) dark brown sugar
1/2 salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
500 ml (2 cups) scalding milk

For the whipped cream

250ml (1 cup) extra cold whipping cream
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

instructions:

How to cook Pumpkin Custard

Preheat oven to 190 ° C (375°F)
In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs until frothy.
Add the pumpkin purée and the spices and mix until well combined.
Add the scalding milk in a gradual pour whisking while you do so. This will prevent the eggs from curdling.
Place ramekins in a baking dish and pour hot water around them so that they are partially submerged.
Ladle the mixture into the ramekins and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until firm.
Allow custards to cool completely.
Serve cold with whipped cream on top.
Enjoy!

For the whipped cream