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.