Pumpkin Creme Brûlée

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F
2. Heat pumpkin puree in a saucepan over medium to medium-high heat on the stove. When it starts to bubble, stir occasionally until it darkens a bit. Split vanilla bean lengthwise and add the whole bean pod, the teaspoon of Pineapple Head and the heavy cream to the pumpkin puree.
3. Bring to a simmer. Turn off heat and add a pinch of sea salt. Strain cream mixture to remove the vanilla beans.
4. In a large bowl, beat egg yolks with 3/4 cup sugar until well blended and color turns pale yellow.
5. Add the cream mixture, a little at a time so you don’t wind up with scrambled eggs. Pour custard into 8 oven-proof ramekins.
6. Place ramekins into a large roasting pan and add hot water to the roasting pan to a depth that is half the height of the ramekins.
7. Bake until just barely set with the middle of the ramekin still a little jiggly, approximately 40-45 minutes. Remove ramekins from the roasting pan, cool, cover with plastic wrap (not touching the top of the custard) and refrigerate at least 2-3 hours, or up to 3 days.
8. Before serving, your Creme Brûlée needs the classic “top hat” of burnt sugar. You’ll need a cooking torch for the top.
9. But first, sprinkle a few grains of sea salt, approximately 1/2 teaspoon of Pineapple Head seasoning and approximately one teaspoon of fine sugar. The sugar on top will help prevent the cinnamon (in Pineapple Head) from burning.