Now, it’s no secret that I LOVE anything pumpkin related. Even more so, pumpkin DESSERTS. My good friend Sean from FreeRange Human told me about his amazing idea for a pumpkin dessert recipe last month and I asked him to share it here with all of you. If you aren’t familiar with Sean, you should be. He is using the paleo lifestyle to successfully treat his epilepsy. He is currently in the process of eliminating one of his medications completely. He is literally living the ‘Food as Medicine’ mantra. Over the past 2 years, Sean has become one of my best friends, and as they say “Bosom Buddies”…we’re definitely “Bacon Buddies” :). His photography and recipes have become some of the best and most creative out there. Two words: Bacon Pizza. Ok, enough of my gum bumping. I’ll let Sean take it from here.
When George asked me to write a guest post, I was beyond excited, flattered and nervous all at once. I mean, he has such a huge and amazing following, how could I not want to provide something that is on par with what he delivers every week? Also, since meeting George a couple years ago, he has been such a huge and positive influence in my life on and off the internet.
One of my favorite things about Fall and the holiday season in general is the abundance of pumpkin flavored…everything really. Before my evolution into paleo, I can safely say that I consumed my fair share of pumpkin pies, lattes, cakes, muffins among others. Once I gave up sugar and grains however, all that changed (for the better to be sure).
Last month while at a celebratory dinner, a crème brûlée trio was served for dessert. It’s fairly simple to make really and with a few tweaks, could be made totally paleo. Bonus! Especially now for me since I’m tapering off some of my epilepsy medication. I decided right there that I should give it a shot and what better time of year than now to make a pumpkin pie crème brûlée? Turns out, making crème brûlée in different flavors is quite simple. The base recipe stays the same and you just add different flavors in the steeping process, much like making ice cream.
Lately, I have tried my hand at making this classic with a little twist: the Sous Vide. Earlier this year, I got one of these babies (at George’s influence nonetheless) and since then, I had only used it for savory dishes like steak, chicken, and/or eggs, and let me tell you, I still use it at least twice a week. I had read plenty about the Sous Vide Supreme’s ability to actually BAKE desserts. At first thought it doesn’t seem like it would work. I mean, there’s WATER in there. How could you possibly bake using this thing? After a little research, it was really a simple method. The result is not only a tasty dessert that tastes exactly like pumpkin pie, but it’s also high in quality fat and since I used coconut sugar, it stays low on the Glycemic Index which is good for my epilepsy treatment. Given that it’s Epilepsy Awareness Month and the holiday season, this is the perfect twist on this dessert.
Pumpkin Pie Crème Brûlée
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups raw heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
- 4 egg yolks
- 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut sugar
- pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- First, properly set the water level in your Sous Vide Supreme by placing the perforated grill plate on top of the baking rack in the Sous Vide Supreme. Fill 4 ramekins with water and arrange them on the grill plate. Fill sous vide with just enough water to come within 1/4" of the top of your ramekins.
- Remove ramekins and dry well. Set aside.
- Preheat Sous Vide to 195°F/90.5°C
- Grease ramekins with butter and set aside.
- In a small saucepan, add heavy cream and whisk in pumpkin pie spice. Heat over medium low heat until cream starts to bubble around the edges. About 10 minutes.
- While cream is heating, use a stand mixer to whisk egg yolks, pumpkin, coconut sugar, vanilla and salt until evenly incorporated throughout.
- Slowly pour cream mixture into egg mixture and whisk together until evenly combined.
- Divide mixture evenly between the four ramekins and cover ramekins with foil.
- Place ramekins on grill plate in your sous vide and cook for 90 minutes.
- Remove ramekins and let come to room temperature then refrigerate 4 hours or even overnight before serving.
- When ready to serve, sprinkle 1 tbs coconut sugar evenly over custard and caramelize with a kitchen torch or under a broiler.
- Enjoy!
Notes
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Have made these twice and they turned out great! So yummy and present well. Thanks for the recipe.
You are so welcome!
I was wondering if you could use date paste instead of sugar, and vanilla powder (no alcohol) along with the coconut milk (Full Fat) to keep this Whole 30 compatible and get the same results? I also understand you can get a sous vide attachment for your slow cooker for about $100.00
http://paleopot.com/2013/04/how-to-hack-your-old-slow-cooker-programmable-sous-vide-cooking/
Blessings, Anne
Thanks for the tip. I haven’t worked with date paste before, so I’m not 100% sure how that would turn out because of the texture?
Hi George. I’m a big fan of raw cream and raw butter. My question is when is a raw milk product, such as this cream here, not raw anymore during a cooking process. Since this raw cream is cooked here, does it no longer have the benefits of the things it contains as a raw product?
Thanks!
I honestly don’t know
I was drooling when I saw these the other day & featured them in our Paleo Thanksgiving roundup on PaleoDulce.com. I I’m tried them this weekend with coconut milk and they turned out great! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Thank you for sharing your feedback :)
If you are going to do this in the oven, you can create a bain-marie. Simply put the ramekins in a roasting pan or a cake pan with high sides and fill with hot water until the water comes up to halfway up the sides of the ramekins, then bake as directed until set. This is typical for any baked custard. Enjoy!!
Thanks for the information. I will definitely need to read up on that soon.
Love creme brulee!
I would like to use raw sugar and/or raw stevia. Measure the same?
I’m not sure. The raw sugar should, but I’m pretty certain stevia is much stronger? Let me know what you come up with!
I LOVE creme brûlée! Sadly, I’m allergic to dairy but I love the idea of torching coconut sugar on top. I’ve got a recipe for pumpkin custard that’s dairy free but now I’m going to take it to a new level with the topping. Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe!!
Jen
You’re so welcome… let me know how your version turns out!
Can use make it as a full sized pie? Ramekins are great and all but I need to feed more than four people.
Definitely can!
This looks FABULOUS. and…its the perfect excuse to by a mini blow torch!!!
… and that’s exactly why I made them ;)
This looks fantastic! What is your recommendation for cooking these in the oven since I don’t have the Sous Vide?
Yes. If you look in the Notes section of the recipe, there are directions for a conventional oven.
Is there anything we can substitute for the raw, heavy cream?
Yes. Full fat coconut milk from the can will work as well.
Thank you and thanks for all you do on your site. Can’t wait to try this and won’t be waiting til Thanksgiving!
I did these with coconut milk and they were yummy, yummy! Will be making them again today to serve at the dinner tomorrow. Thanks!!
Oh no you didn’t!!!!
Holy crap this just made my paleo life complete! Creme Brulee is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE dessert! I will seek out restaurants that serve it – who cares what the entree food is… if creme brulee is on the menu, I’m going!
And now I can have it will staying Paleo… oh, I love you both!
Early birthday present to me… I couldn’t be happier. Well I could… when I put this delicious treat IN MY MOUTH!
THANK YOU
Haha. I love it too! One of my favorite desserts.