Pumpkin Flan - Perfect Make-Ahead Dessert

If you’re planning smart use of your carbs for the Thanksgiving meal, add this silky sweet Pumpkin Flan to your menu. From my book, 1,000 Diabetes Recipes (Wiley, 2011), It’s like the smoothest pumpkin pie filling you’ve ever had—without the crust. Whether you’re avoiding crust because of the carbs or because you want to take some shortcuts with a laborious holiday menu, you’ll love this dessert.

Another great selling point for this flan is that you HAVE to make it a day ahead so that it forms the addictive caramel syrup in the refrigerator overnight. When dessert is already baked, it frees up the oven for more important things—like the turkey. All you have to do to serve it is to invert it onto a plate—a rimmed plate—you don’t want any of that yummy syrup to go to waste. Happy Thanksgiving.  

Pumpkin Flan

Makes 12 servings

1 teaspoon canola oil

1/2 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons water

1 (12-ounce) can fat-free evaporated milk

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

3 large eggs

2 large egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Brush the inside rim of a 9-inch metal round cake pan with the oil, leaving the bottom of the pan uncoated.

2. Stir together the granulated sugar and water in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes, or until sugar dissolves. Continue cooking, without stirring, until the mixture turns golden, about 6 minutes longer. Carefully pour the sugar mixture into the prepared pan, tilting the pan to coat the bottom (the pan will be hot after pouring in the caramel).

3. Whisk together the evaporated milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, eggs, egg whites, and vanilla in a large bowl. Pour into the cake pan. Place the cake pan inside a large baking roasting pan and add hot water to the baking pan to a level half way up the sides  of the cake pan.

4. Bake until a knife inserted in the edge of the flan comes out clean and flan is still soft in the center, 1 hour and 20 minutes. Carefully remove the flan from the water bath and cool on a wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate the flan, covered, overnight.

5. To serve, run a small spatula around the edge of the flan and invert onto a rimmed serving plate to avoid spilling the syrup.

Each serving: 24 g carbohydrate, 126 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 53 mg cholesterol, 1 g fiber, 4 g protein, 68 mg sodium

Carb Choices: 1 1/2; Exchanges: 1 1/2 carbohydrate

Pumpkin and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

My cookbook, 1,000 Diabetes Recipes, came out a few weeks ago and I’d like to share one of my favorite recipes in the book to make this time of year. If you love to make butternut squash soup, but hate all the time it takes for peeling and chopping, you’ll love this recipe.

It uses canned pumpkin, so it takes no time at all to prep. If you have any red peppers left from the end of the season farmers’ market, by all means roast your own. But honestly, this is one recipe where it really doesn’t matter. The only way to possibly mess up this recipe is if you buy the wrong kind of pumpkin—you want “canned pumpkin” not “pumpkin pie filling.”

It’s great to have for lunch or an easy supper. And, if you want to dress it up a little and serve it at a holiday dinner, top each serving with a spoonful of plain low-fat yogurt or reduced-fat sour cream. Enjoy the ease of the season.

Pumpkin and Roasted Red Pepper Soup

Makes 6 servings

2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

3 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

5 to 5 1/2 cups low sodium vegetable or chicken broth

1 cup roasted red peppers from a jar, drained and chopped

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the oil and tilt the pan to coat the bottom evenly. Add the carrots and onion and cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are softened, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and coriander and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, 30 seconds.

2. Add 5 cups of the stock, the bell pepper, salt, and ground pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer until the vegetables are very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

3. Place the vegetable mixture in a food processor or blender in batches and process until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan and stir in the pumpkin. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of broth a few tablespoons at a time, if needed, to reach the desired consistency. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until heated through. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Ladle into bowls and serve at once. The soup can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months.

Each serving: 16 g carbohydrate, 80 calories, 2 g fat, 0 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 4 g fiber, 2 g protein, 324 mg sodium

Carb Choices: 1; Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 2 vegetable

Photo: Veer