Mini Pumpkin Pie Brûlées Food

PUMPKIN PIE CREME BRULEE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Place the pumpkins in a large roasting pan, with water coming up 1/2 inch up the sides.
• Bring the cream to a simmer in a medium saucepot. Add the pumpkin puree, brown and granulated sugars, orange liquor, pumpkin spice and salt. Bring the mixture back to a simmer, whisking often. Turn off the heat.
• Place the egg yolks in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in 1 cup of the hot pumpkin mixture, then slowly whisk the warmed egg mixture back into the pot to fully temper. Strain the mixture, then divide it among the pumpkins, filling about three-quarters of the way to the top. Place the roasting pan in the oven and bake until the centers are set, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Carefully remove from the oven. Using a spatula, carefully remove the pumpkins from the pan and place on a sheet tray. Let cool completely at room temperature. Place in the refrigerator until completely chilled, about 4 hours.
• When ready to serve, sprinkle the tops with enough turbinado sugar to cover in a thin, even layer. Torch the sugar with a kitchen torch until melted and caramelized. Place on plates and serve.

PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Make the dough by hand. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Using your fingers, work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles yellow corn meal mixed with bean-sized bits of butter. (If the flour/butter mixture gets warm, refrigerate it for 10 minutes before proceeding.) Add the egg and stir the dough together with a fork or by hand in the bowl. If the dough is dry, sprinkle up to a tablespoon more of cold water over the mixture.
• Alternatively, make the dough in a food processor. With the machine fitted with the metal blade, pulse the flour, sugar, and salt until combined. Add the butter and pulse until it resembles yellow corn meal mixed with bean-sized bits of butter, about 10 times. Add the egg and pulse 1 to 2 times; don't let the dough form into a ball in the machine. (If the dough is very dry add up to a tablespoon more of cold water.) Remove the bowl from the machine, remove the blade, and bring the dough together by hand.
• Form the dough into a disk, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 1 hour.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough with a rolling pin into a 12-inch circle about 1/8-inch thick. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie pan and trim the edges, leaving about an extra inch hanging over the edge. Tuck the overhanging dough underneath itself to form a thick edge that is even with the rim. Flute the edge as desired. Freeze the pie shell for 30 minutes.
• Set separate racks in the center and lower third of oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Put a piece of parchment paper or foil over the pie shell and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake on a baking sheet on the center rack until the dough is set, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and lift sides of the parchment paper to remove the beans. Continue baking until the pie shell is lightly golden brown, about 10 more minutes. Cool on a rack.
• Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• While the pie shell is cooling make the filling. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, half-and-half, spices, and salt until smooth. Return the pie shell to the baking sheet and pour in the filling.
• Bake on the lower oven rack until the edges of the filling are set but the center is still slightly loose, about 50 to 60 minutes. (If the edges get very dark, cover them with aluminum foil.) Cool on a rack. Serve room temperature or slightly warm.

TINY CREME BRULEES

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 300 degrees F. Heat the cream and vanilla pod in a small saucepan over medium heat until it begins to steam. Remove from the heat, and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk together 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the egg yolks in a small bowl until pale yellow. Whisk the cream into the egg mixture. Fish out the vanilla pod, scrape out any remaining seeds and whisk them into the custard. Pour the custard into an 8-inch square baking dish.
• Line a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with a kitchen towel, and put the custard-filled baking dish on top of it. Transfer the large baking dish to the oven rack, and fill it about halfway with warm water. Bake the custard until it is firm but still wiggles slightly, 35 to 45 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then chill for at least 1 hour. (The custard can be made the night before.) Transfer the custard to a pastry bag or large resealable plastic bag, and cut off the tip.
• Arrange the cookies, flat bottoms up, on a baking sheet. Pipe a spiral of custard onto each cookie, all the way to the edge. Use a small spatula or the back of spoon to smooth out the custard. Chill for at least 30 minutes, up to 2 hours.
• When ready to serve, sprinkle each creme brulee generously with some of the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Use a kitchen torch to toast each until the sugar is dark and caramelized. Chill for a few minutes so the custard can thicken slightly, then serve.

MINI PUMPKIN PIE BRûLéES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400°F. Spray 36 (1 1/2-inch) mini muffin-pan cups with vegetable cooking spray. Beat the egg yolks, pumpkin, heavy cream, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a medium bowl with a fork or whisk.
• Sprinkle the flour on the work surface. Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 12-inch square. Cut the pastry into 36 (2-inch) squares. Press the pastry squares into 36 (1 1/2-inch) mini muffin-pan cups. Spoon about 1 tablespoon pumpkin mixture into each pastry cup.
• Bake for 15 minutes or until the pastries are golden brown and the filling is set. Let the pastries cool in the pans on wire racks for 5 minutes. Remove the pastries and let cool completely on the wire racks.
• Place the oven rack in the upper third of the oven. Heat the oven to 450°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Create 18 (2-inch) circles of sugar on each baking sheet, using about 1/4 teaspoon sugar for each circle.
• Bake one baking sheet for 5 minutes or until the sugar circles are bubbly and a deep caramel color. Let the sugar circles cool completely on the baking sheet on a wire rack. Repeat with the remaining baking sheet. Using a small metal spatula, remove the sugar circles from the baking sheets. Press 1 sugar circle at an angle into the top of each pastry.

MINI PUMPKIN PIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Roll each pie crust out onto a floured surface to a rough rectangle about 11 inches square. Cut each pie crust into 12 3-inch rounds. Fit the little pie crust circles into 24 mini pie dishes.
• Separate one egg, and place the egg white into a small bowl. Beat the egg white until slightly frothy, and brush the edges of each mini pie crust with egg white. Place the remaining yolk into a bowl, and beat with remaining 2 eggs. Mix the softened cream cheese, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla extract, and pumpkin pie spice into the eggs to make a smooth filling. Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the filling into each crust.
• Bake the pies in the preheated oven until the crust edges are golden brown and the filling is set, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool before eating.

PUMPKIN PIE BRûLéE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold overhang under and crimp decoratively. Pierce dough all over with fork. Freeze 15 minutes. Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until sides are set, about 12 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• Whisk pumpkin and 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl to blend. Whisk in eggs, then cream, spices, and salt. Pour filling into warm crust. Bake pie until filling is set in center, about 50 minutes. Transfer pie to rack; cool 30 minutes. Chill until cold, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.
• Preheat broiler. Sprinkle pie evenly with 2 tablespoons sugar. Broil until sugar melts and begins to caramelize, turning pie for even browning, about 1 minute. Let pie stand until topping hardens, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle pie again with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Broil again until sugar browns, about 1 minute. Refrigerate pie until topping hardens, about 30 minutes. Serve or keep refrigerated no more than 2 hours longer.