From Paris with Love ... and Pumpkins

We can find recipes in interesting places if we are always on the look out.  The following great find came from my obsession with celebrity gossip and Hello Canada Magazine (the Oct 17 edition).  This yummy recipe is an excerpt from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan.  Who knew that a magazine devoted to lifestyles of the rich and famous would also be a source for recipes.  The other recipes from the book look equally delicous and worth a try.  But with Hallowe'en around the corner and pumpkins in tremendous supply, this seems like a good place to start.

I might experiement with the cheese as well .... gorgonzola sounds fantastic, but I'm going to ask the experts at Sam's cheese at the Hamilton Farmers market for some other options.  Some people are shy about their cheese and I think a less robust variety might work, too. 

Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Flans
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 35 minutes
Makes: 6 servings
Greenspan likes serving these flans in their cups, but you can unmold them. While the French would garnish this flan with creme fraiche, Greenspan prefers a tiny drizzle of honey or maple syrup. The flans are best served the day they are made. Keep, lightly covered, at room temperature for about 6 hours before serving.
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
3 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 1/2 ounces Gorgonzola, crumbled (generous 1/2 cup)
2 tablespoons chopped roasted walnuts
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter six custard cups or ramekins. Line the bottom of a roasting pan that’s large enough to hold the cups comfortably with a double layer of paper towels. Put the custard cups in the pan. Put a kettle of water on to boil.
Put the pumpkin, eggs, yolks and cream in a food processor or blender. Process to blend. Season with salt and pepper; pour the custard into cups. Divide the Gorgonzola among the flans, poking the cheese into the custard a little bit, just to distribute it. Sprinkle the tops of the flans with the walnuts. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the cups.
Bake until a knife inserted into a custard comes out almost clean, 35-40 minutes. Transfer the roasting pan to a rack; let the flans cool in the water bath to just warm or room temperature.

Stay tuned for reviews as I try this recipe on my unsuspecting friends tomorrow night.