Crème brûlée is but a concept. You can put the crème in anything, give it a brûlée, and it’ll still be crème brûlée. Whether it’s done in mini pots, poured out flat in a casserole then torched, or even brûlée-d on top of bubble milk tea or doughnuts, the iconic burnished top of a crème brûlée is instantly recognisable. Case in point—this renegade dessert, of crème , baked and brûléed in a pumpkin.

About the Dish

This starts off just like any crème brûlée—with eggs and sugar whisked together in a bowl, then tempered into hot cream, carefully so as not to scramble the eggs. Only instead of then pouring the custard mix into a mould, you ready a pumpkin that’s been halved, carved, and cooked till tender, then pour the custard into that. You then bake it low and slow until it’s barely set, then chill it as per a classic crème brûlée, pour on sugar, and torch it till crisp and caramelised.

If you’re skeptical about whether baking it this way makes a difference, whether the pumpkin adds anything to the iconic dessert, bring to mind the appeal of a classic crème brûlée, with the textural duality of crackly caramel crust and creamy custard. Now, imagine having a third, equally arousing texture in the mix, in the form of the buttery smooth pumpkin flesh, sweet and tender from the bake, but also providing bite and body that the original lacks. Flavour your custard base with the magic of pumpkin spice—cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves—and you’ll have a crème brûlée verging on pumpkin pie and Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, a dessert that draws from the three iconic desserts.

Tips for Success

When baking the pumpkin halves on their own, it’s best to bake them to about 90% doneness, or even fully cook it, as the second bake with the custard isn’t quite hot enough to do much more cooking to the pumpkin.
Once the pumpkins are done, make sure to pour out any liquid left in the cavity. You want the pumpkin to be pretty dry in the middle, otherwise the leftover juices will mingle with the custard as it’s poured in, and it won’t be as smooth.
I like my crème brûlées to be riiiight on the edge of doneness. So when I take it out of the oven, it would still seem soft and pretty jiggly in the middle. Which is why the next step—chilling it in the refrigerator—is crucial to thicken the custard and get it to a perfect, pudding-soft texture.
There are a ton of different techniques you can use for brûlée-ing the top of the crème brûlée, from broilers to branding irons to searing hot spoons. But in my experience, a blowtorch still works best for consistent caramelisation.
When you’re brûlée-ing with the blowtorch, keep the flame moving and don’t linger on one spot for too long. This will ensure that the sugar is heated more evenly, and reduces the chances of having burnt spots on our caramel.

Pumpkin Crème Brûlée

Makes 2 crème brûlées

Ingredients

1 large pumpkin
15g (1 tablespoon) caster or granulated sugar
2g (1/4 teaspoon) salt

5 egg yolks
100g (1/2 cup) caster or granulated sugar
5ml (1 teaspoon) vanilla extract
360ml (1 1/2 cup) heavy cream
120ml (1/2 cup) milk
2g (1/4 teaspoon) cinnamon powder
1g (1/8 teaspoon) nutmeg powder
1g (1/8 teaspoon) ginger powder
1g (1/4 teaspoon) ground cloves

30g (2 tablespoons) caster or granulated sugar, for brûlée-ing

Directions

Prep pumpkin: Slice the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds from each half. Sprinkle the sugar and salt over the pumpkin, wrap it in foil, then roast it in the oven at 180°C (350°F, fan-forced) for 45-60 minutes. When done, remove the foil from the pumpkin, pour out any liquid that has pooled in the cavity, and let it cool on a wire rack until just warm.
Make custard: In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract until the sugar has dissolved. Then, pour the heavy cream, milk, and all the spices into a pot, give it a stir, then place over a medium flame to heat it until hot and steamy, taking off the heat before it comes to a boil. Gently stream the hot cream into the egg mixture, stirring it constantly to mix. When all of the cream has been poured in, give it a final mix, then pour the custard mix into the pumpkin, filling it to the brim. Using a blowtorch, lightly pass the flame across the top of the custard to burst any bubbles that have formed. (You can use a spoon to remove the bubbles too.)
Bake crème brûlée: Set your oven to 120°C, then bake the pumpkin crème brûlées for 40-45 minutes, until the custard is set around the edges but still jiggly in the middle. When it’s done baking, let it cool to room temperature, then stick it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours, or overnight up to 2 days.
Burn, baby, burn: When you’re ready to serve, take out your crème brûlée from the refrigerator. Spread a spoonful of sugar onto the top of the set custard, then take out your blowtorch and burn the sugar! (It’s best to keep the flame moving so you heat the sugar evenly and not accidentally burn it in spot.) When sufficiently brûlée-d, get yourself a spoon, crack the sugar crust, and drown in the pumpkin custard!