Pumpkin Crème Brulée

Place pumpkin on a sheet pan; rub with salt and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Cover with foil; bake in 350°F oven for 30-45 minutes or until completely cooked. Cool; remove pumpkin meat from shell. Pulse in food processor until chopped to a paste. In a saucepan, combine 2 cups pumpkin with heavy cream and spices. Bring to a simmer over low heat; simmer 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing on pumpkin with a spatula to maximize pumpkin flavor. Discard pumpkin.

Add maple syrup, condensed milk and vanilla; whisk to combine. Temper egg yolks by adding a cup of cream mixture to egg yolks; mix thoroughly and pour back into cream mixture. Mix well; pour about 1/2 cup cream mixture into each of 12 crème brulée dishes. Tightly cover each dish individually with plastic wrap. Arrange dishes on a sheet pan; pour a 1/2-in. layer of water into sheet pan. Bake in 250°F oven for 20-30 minutes or until barely set. Cool completely. Spread 1 tablespoon brown sugar on top of each crème brulée. Caramelize with a torch, or heat a large spoon directly over the stove flame and pass over sugar until caramelized.

Recipe courtesy of Jose Luis Ugalde, Café Gibralter, San Francisco