Last weekend, as I knew the rest of the family wouldn't settle for anything less than pumpkin pie for a Hallowe'en dessert, to avoid temptation, I decided to create myself a dairy, egg and gluten free alternative! Running short of time, and also needing to make some coconut jellies, it seemed the obvious solution to use that as a base for my pumpkin dessert. So, with the extra coconut jelly mixture ready I simply blended in cooked pumpkin and some spices and left it to set. The result a deliciously creamy, spiced mixture, not a million miles from the usual pumpkin pie filling. Which got me thinking ......
Adding the pumpkin created a lovely custardy texture, which, I thought, would make a fantastic alternative to egg custard based desserts like Crème Brûlée and Crème Caramel. Hence this weeks decadent but healthy dessert. For another slight twist, the Crème Caramels are flavoured with orange and for increased depth of flavour the coconut milk is infused with crushed cardamom pods. The coconut milk, used here primarily for its rich creamy texture, loses its coconutty flavour to the intensity of the orange and cardamom.
Although I've used Agave Nectar in the recipe, this week, thanks to the lovely Janey Lee Grace and her monthly 'Imperfectly Natural Tips', I've discovered a new low GL sweetener. It's called Sweet Freedom and is made in the UK purely using water extracted from apples, grapes and carob. Like Agave, there are two varieties a light mild syrup and a darker slightly stronger flavoured version. You can order online from Sweet Freedom and it is available in some supermarkets and farm shops.
The delicate, self saucing desserts only need a light touch when it comes to decoration, so pieces of thinly sliced orange and a scattering of zest fit the bill nicely.
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Orange & Cardamom Crème Caramels
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Serves 4
Ingredients
Caramel
50g Agave Syrup
50ml Orange Juice
Zest of ½ Orange
'Custards'
150g Raw Pumpkin Flesh
400ml Coconut Milk
2 Cardamom Pods, crushed
4 Leaves of Gelatine
20g Agave Nectar
Zest of ½ Orange
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
To Serve
Pieces of Thinly Sliced Orange
Orange Zest
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Line 4 large ramekins (125ml) with a small disk of non stick parchment.
Boil the orange juice, agave nectar and orange zest until syrupy. Divide between the 4 ramekins.
Steam the pumpkin until tender. Drain any excess liquid.
Heat the coconut milk and crushed cardamom pods. Take off the heat and leave to infuse for 15-20 minutes. Cut the gelatine leaves into small pieces and soak in cold water for about 10 minutes. Place the infused coconut milk back on the heat, drain the gelatine and add to the pan, stirring until it dissolves - don't allow the milk to boil, otherwise the gelatine won't set. Strain the milk into a blender and add the cooked pumpkin vanilla extract, agave nectar and orange zest. Blend until smooth.
Divide the pumpkin mixture between the 4 ramekins. Leave to cool and then refrigerate until set, preferably overnight.
To serve. Gently press around the edge of the 'custards' to release them from the ramekins. Hold a serving plate over the ramekin and quickly invert the plate. Give the ramekin and plate a couple of sharp shakes until you hear the plop as the crème caramel is released from the ramekin. Carefully remove the ramekin and non stick parchment, taking care not to spill the caramel which will have turned to liquid. Decorate with small orange slices and zest.
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