October 4, 2010 Low-fat pumpkin custard with spiced pecans
Despite all evidence to the contrary presented on this blog, I try to eat fairly healthy most of the time. What I don’t write about is all the oatmeal, yoghurt, and vegetables I consume for most meals, because, well, that’s boring. I have been trying to add some of my healthy recipes to the mix here, but I have to admit that it’s far more fun to talk about cakes and cookies and anything with cheese.
However, I’m breaking my silence today! Because I want to talk about a magic ingredient that deserves far more attention than its current annual celebration allows: pumpkin. Canned pumpkin (which has been proven to be just as good as fresh pumpkin, thanks America’s Test Kitchen) is fat-free, low in calories, substitutes really well for fat in recipes, and a pinch of cinnamon elevates it to something magically warm and wonderful.
I came up with this custard when I was having a craving for pumpkin pie, and was not feeling indulgent enough to make a whole pie with crust (though that may have also been pure laziness). I looked around to find a solid pumpkin custard recipe, and realized that there are so many variations on the pumpkin pie filling there seemed to be no clear consensus for what exactly goes into it. So instead, I played around with some basic ingredients, adding just a touch of sweetness, some cinnamon, ginger, cloves. Maple syrup adds an extra depth of flavor. I realized that it would be a cinch to make a truly healthy, low cal recipe, and this pumpkin custard was born.
Baking them reminds me of all the egg custards I baked growing up. Egg custards were one of the first recipes I learned how to cook. Eggs, milk, and sugar were always available at home, and I became adept at an early age at baking little crocks of warm, nutmeg-scented custards, warm from their water bath.
Some caveats: Okay, I admit it. This custard is not the richest, creamiest, or sweetest custard you are going to come across (it’s supposed to be healthy, guys!). But it is lightly sweet, satisfyingly spicy, and not in the least guilt-inducing, with – wait for it – less than 200 calories a serving. It bakes easily and is chock full of pumpkin flavor. Top with a handful of sweet, crunchy, spiced pecans, a la David Lebovitz, and you’ve really got something special. Your heart, and waistline, will thank you.
P.S. Watch out for these pecans. They’ll blow the low-fat, low-cal custard out of the water; they are so addictive you’ll never be able to stop eating them. They are also ridiculously easy to make. I don’t think I need to add that they are completely delicious. And if you don’t care about calories or fat or any of that business, try them with a slice of pumpkin pie and a dollop of freshly whipped cream. Serious. Love.
RECIPE: Low-fat pumpkin custard
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 cup unsweetened almond milk* (or your preferred milk, I recommend something with at least a little fat – not skim)
4 tablespoons maple syrup (the darker the better)
2 tablespoons agave syrup**
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and set a kettle of water on to boil. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat eggs well until slightly frothy. Add remaining ingredients and beat until smooth.
Pour into ramekins or mason jars (I got 5 servings into 8 oz mason jars) and place in baking dish. Pour 1 inch of boiling water into the baking dish and bake until custards are set, about 40 minutes. Allow to cool. Top with spiced pecans and eat.
Spiced pecans (from David Lebovitz’ Ready for Dessert)
(I cut this recipe in half since I only had around 2 cups of pecans laying around, and it worked just great. I also may have spiced it less than his original recipe calls for, mainly so I wouldn’t overpower the already-spiced pumpkin custards)
1 egg white from a large egg
2 tsp vanilla
½ cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cayenne or chili powder
½ teaspoon salt
4 cups pecan halves
Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper, lightly sprayed with oil. Beat egg white until frothy, about 10 seconds. Mix in spices and sugar. Mix in pecans, stirring well to coat. Bake pecans in a single layer for 30 minutes or until glaze dries and pecans toast, stirring/turning nuts every 10 minutes.
SIDE NOTES:
*My preferred milk substitute (I’m slightly lactose intolerant) is almond milk. At 40 calories and 3.5 grams of fat per serving (the unsweetened, vanilla or original version), it really can’t be beat, and it means I’m avoiding the hormones that go into regular milk AND soy milk.
**My plug for agave: if you haven’t used agave before, you might want to consider trying it. It’s sweeter than sugar, more liquidy than honey, and it has a low glycemic index, which means your body digests it differently than sugar: no sugar high, and subsequent crash, and it doesn’t make you crave more sugar later (as regular sugar has been proven to do). It works really well in cocktails, too, due to its consistency and potent sweetness.
- Leave a comment
- Posted under Baking, Desserts, Fruit and veg, Healthy
