Pumpkin Ginger Creme Brulee

I made this for a twist on a classic dessert just in time for 'Friends-Giving' Thanksgiving dinner. This was my first time making creme brulee but I was very happy with how it turned out, as were my guinea pigs.

The pumpkin maintains a traditional holiday taste with the ginger giving it a nice kick and an unexpected layer of flavor.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
2 pinches nutmeg
2 pinches ginger
1 pinch ground cloves

4 egg yolks
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup pumpkin puree

coarse sugar to coat each ramekin, about 1/4 cup


Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Heat the milk and cream with the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves over medium. Use a fine-mesh strainer to dust the spices into the milk and cream mixture, stirring with each addition so the spices get incorporated into the liquid and don't clump. Heat while stirring constantly until just boiling, then immediately take off heat and let cool.

While the milk and spice mixture is cooling, whisk 4 egg yolks with the white sugar in a large mixing bowl.

While whisking, mix the milk mixture into the eggs and sugar.

Whisk in the pumpkin puree.

Pour into ramekins (or oven-proof cups), and place in a hot water bath as pictured below.

The water bath will keep the consistency of the custards smooth by letting them cook more gently. 

Bake at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes, as long as 45. To test for doneness, gently shake the tray. If the custards have set along the outsides and shimmy a bit in the middle, they are done. If they are still totally liquidy in the middle, leave them in for another 10 minutes or so. 

When they are ready to come out of the oven, remove the custards from the hot water bath and chill in plastic wrap for up to one day before service or at least one hour. 

Before serving, place enough coarse sugar on each custard top to completely cover them. Caramelize the sugar with a creme brulee torch or broil on high until caramelized dark brown but not burned. 

Crack the top with a spoon and enjoy!

My secret to great food all the time: A well-stocked pantry

I am a recent college graduate with a low-paying job, and I love to cook healthy, delicious food all the time. And no, I don't have an expensive grocery bill. In fact, I spend $50 every two weeks on groceries regularly with the occasional splurge for parties or big dinners. The secret to this is a well-stocked pantry with a diversity of base ingredients that can be used in a wide array of dishes.

These are some things I always keep on hand. I know that I can go to the store, come back with mostly produce and the occasional meat item, and create dishes I will be excited about with these ingredients already in my kitchen.

Spices
Spices can't be emphasized enough! With a good arsenal of spices, you can liven up anything. Here is what is usually on my spice shelf:

Asian/Indian Cooking:
Cumin
Curry
Paprika
Garam Masala
Turmeric

Middle Eastern:
Mace
Coriander
Cardamom
Cloves
Cinnamon

French/Italian Cooking:
Thyme
Sage
Oregano
Rosemary
Allspice
Fennel seed
Herbs de Provence

Other/Baking:
Nutmeg
Ground Ginger

Ras El Hanout spice blend: I like to keep this on hand to liven up meat, vegetables, any substantial savory dish that could use a little kick. It's a slightly sweet, slightly spicy rich spice blend that is traditionally used in Moroccan food.

Vegetable Bullion: I use this sparingly as I am not a huge fan of the high sodium content, but its good in a pinch if you don't have any stock and need to mimic that rich flavor.

Shredded Coconut: Just because I am a coconut-nut. Shredded coconut can be used in chicken dishes, rice dishes, cookies, and my favorite, coconut french toast.

Oils/Sauces
Soy Sauce: Can be used in a variety of meat dishes including pork and chicken, and in soups.
Sesame Oil: Using sesame oil in Asian dishes adds nice flavor as opposed to using vegetable oil or olive oil.
Fish Sauce: A little goes a long way when you're using fish sauce. I use it most often to add an extra layer of flavor to stir fry.
Worcestershire sauce: A favorite to use with beef. I love using it in my burger patties.
Stir-fry sauce: A good standby for a quick dinner.

Canned Goods
Conconut Milk: Can be used in savory and sweet dishes: Asian food combined with curry, in rice, in oatmeal, in baking.
Black Beans: A good staple in a pinch that can be tossed in a salad or used in a burrito.
Canned Chicken Stock (or homemade frozen): I like to keep some chicken stock around to add depth of flavor to soups and sauces.

Long-life Vegetables 
Onions: Onions are as basic a staple as they come. Whether it's in soup, sauteed vegetables, in a sauce, and in most savory dishes.
Garlic: Garlic is essential to most savory food I cook! It's also known to have great health benefits as it contains vitamins including Vitamin C and Vitamin B6, and is a natural immune system boost.
Ginger: An easy to keep root that makes a nice addition to meat dishes, vegetable sautee, etc.
Potatoes: It's good to have potatoes around for a side by themselves, in soup, roasted, etc.

Grains
Quinoa: Healthy-a complete protein, tasty, and goes with most vegetables. I love quinoa.
Japanese or Thai Rice: A nice side dish to most dinners. I like to soak my rice overnight for sticky rice the next day. You can also substitute coconut milk for water and make coconut rice. Feeling sweet, add a little sugar, toasted coconut, and butter for a coconut rice pudding.
Penne Pasta: A great standby that can be combined easily with stray vegetables and spices if you don't have a lot of food options.
Rolled Oats: A favorite breakfast staple and a good baking ingredient.