Name: Pumpkin Clafouti
Yield: Makes 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 4- to 5- pound cheese pumpkin or butternut or Hubbard squash; 5 large eggs; 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar; 1/2 cup milk; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1-inch piece of vanilla bean, split lengthwise, pulp scraped; Pinch of salt; 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted; 1/3 chopped toasted hazelnuts

A clafouti made with pumpkin and toasted hazelnuts.

Photo by Elizabeth Coetzee, Food Styling by Erika Joyce

A clafouti is a sweet baked "pancake," made popular in France, that is usually filled with cherries or other seasonal fruits. In most versions, while the clafouti bakes, the batter puffs up around the fruit and browns, becoming slightly crusty on the top of the soft, custardy center. In this recipe, however, I use puréed pumpkin mixed into the batter instead of adding chunks of fruit at the end. It makes for a particularly creamy, silken clafouti to which I add some chopped hazelnuts for crunch. This dessert could take the place of a pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving; since it's much lighter, your guests will be grateful to see it after the huge turkey dinner. The batter can be made ahead and baked while you eat, or during the football interlude before dessert.

I call for a cheese pumpkin in this recipe. It's a thick, fleshy, rather squat pumpkin with very dense flesh. If you can't find one, don't substitute regular pumpkin, which is much too watery. Instead, use butternut or Hubbard squash. In a pinch, you can also substitute canned unsweetened pumpkin purée instead of making your own.

Recipe information

Yield
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

1 4- to 5- pound cheese pumpkin or butternut or Hubbard squash

5 large eggs

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1-inch piece of vanilla bean, split lengthwise, pulp scraped

Pinch of salt

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1/3 chopped toasted hazelnuts

Preparation

Step 1
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Cut the pumpkin or squash in half and scrape out the seeds. Place the halves, cut side up, on a baking sheet, and bake for 1 1/2 hours.
Step 2
2. When cool enough to handle, scrape the flesh into a food processor and blend to a smooth purée. Line a sieve with a double layer of cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel and place over a bowl. Spoon the purée into the lined sieve and let it drain in the refrigerator overnight. The next day, pass the drained purée through a fine sieve to yield 2/3 cup (use any remaining purée for another purpose).
Step 3
3. Place the eggs, 3/4 cup of the sugar, the milk, cream, vanilla extract, vanilla pulp, and salt in a blender or food processor. Blend or pulse the mixture until very smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin purée and blend well. Add the flour and pulse until well combined.
Step 4
4. Pass the batter through a fine sieve, then let it rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Step 5
5. Preheat oven to 425°F. Brush a 9-inch quiche or pie plate with the melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Sprinkle the hazelnuts in the pan. Pour the batter over the nuts. Bake the clafouti for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 375°F and bake until the center is just set, about 12 minutes. Serve immediately.