Whiteley Creek Homestead

This morning I had made maple pumpkin custard  that was chilling in the fridge and had just begun preparing a pot of split pea soup for lunch when my cousin Keith and his wife, Cathy, called to ask Dick and I to meet them for lunch. Instead, I invited them to our table. This is a mega easy meal that requires minimal prep. The soup simmers on the stove while the custard bakes and its spicy aroma fills every corner in the house.  

Maple Pumpkin Custard

1 ½ cups milk

4 large eggs

¾ cup maple syrup (I use ¼ cup. Perfect.)

¾ cup canned unseasoned pumpkin puree

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 325°. Put a kettle of water on to heat for the water bath. Line a roasting pan or 9X13 cake pan with a folded kitchen towel. Heat the milk over low heat in a small saucepan until barely steaming but not boiling. Whisk eggs and syrup in a large bowl until smooth. Gently whisk in the warm milk a little bit at a time so the eggs don’t cook. Add pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt; whisk until blended. After thoroughly mixed, gently stir to encourage the surface bubbles to dissipate so the post baked custard's surface is smooth rather than dotted with holes. Divide the mixture among six 6-ounce (¾-cup) custard cups. Place custard cups in the prepared pan. Pour enough boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the custard cups. Place the pan in the oven and bake, uncovered, 45 to 50 minutes until custards are just set but still quiver in the center when shaken. Transfer custards to a wire rack and let cool for 45 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour, or until chilled. about 20-30 min and then serve. The warmth is soothing. Comforting. To serve, top each custard with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of crystallized ginger. (I had no whipping cream on hand, so, in addition to the crystallized ginger sliced into matchsticks, I topped each custard with a few pumpkin seeds for an autumn touch… and crunch.)