Pumpkin Custard

Using pumpkin cooked from pie pumpkins makes a big difference in this recipe. During fall when pie pumpkins are on sale, cook and freeze pumpkins to use throughout the year in pies, muffins, and other pumpkin recipes. The improvement in taste is worth the trouble!

4 eggs

2/3 cup sugar (less if you prefer a not-so-sweet custard)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Dash ground cloves

1 to 2 cups cooked, mashed pumpkin*, or up to 1 (15 oz) can solid-pack pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 (12 oz) can fat-free evaporated milk

Preheat oven to 325°. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Add pumpkin and vanilla, mix well. Gradually beat in milk. Pour into 7 or 8 ungreased ramekins. Place the cups in a 13”x9” baking pan. Add 1” of water to pan. Bake for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm or chilled.

* To cook pumpkin:

Heat oven to 400°. Cut 1 small pie pumpkin into halves. Remove seeds** and fiber. Place pumpkin cut sides up in oblong baking dish. Pour ¼” deep of water into dish. Cover and bake until tender, about 1 hour. Scoop pumpkin from shells. Mash until no lumps remain. Freeze pre-measured cups of the mashed pumpkin in Ziploc freezer bags. Note, 1 pound pared pumpkin yields about 1 cup mashed cooked pumpkin.

** To roast pumpkin seeds:

Wash the scooped out pumpkin seeds under running water, then spread out on paper towels/wax paper to dry. Air dry the seeds for 2-3 days. Oil a cookie sheet with olive oil, and mix in some salt (and optionally other seasonings). Scatter the seeds over the oiled cookie sheet and bake in a slow 250F oven to dry out completely for at least 1 hour. Shake/turn over the seeds a few times and turn up the heat for about 5 minutes at the end of cooking to brown slightly.