Pumpkin Flan with Pumpkin Seed Brittle

Ingredients:

• FOR CARAMEL AND FLAN:
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 cups parve Rich’s Whip Topping
• 1 cup parve milk
• 5 whole eggs and 1 large egg yolk
• 1 15 oz can solid pumpkin (1 ¾ cups)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• FOR PUMPKIN BRITTLE:
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• Use a 2 qt soufflé dish or a round ceramic casserole dish

Preparation:

Make Caramel:
1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 F. Heat soufflé dish in oven while making caramel.
2. Cook 1 cup sugar in a dry 2 qt heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until it begins to melt. Continue to cook, stirring with a wooden spoon until sugar melts into a deep golden caramel.
3. Wearing oven mitts, remove hot dish from oven (but leave oven on) and immediately pour caramel into dish, tilting it to cover bottom and side. Keep tilting as caramel cools and thickens enough to coat, then let harden.

Make Flan:
1. Bring parve whip topping and parve milk to a bare simmer in a 2qt. heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Remove from heat.
2. Whisk together whole eggs, yolk, and remaining cup sugar in a large bowl until combined well. Add hot cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking.
3. Pour custard through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl, scraping with a rubber spatula to force through. Stir to combine well.
4. Pour custard over caramel in dish, then bake in water bath.
For Water Bath: Put filled soufflé dish in a larger pan and add enough boiling-hot water to reach halfway up the side of the smaller pan.
5. Once the flan is golden brown on top and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours, remove the dish from the Water Bath and transfer to a rack to cool.
6. Cover and chill flan until cold, at least 6 hours.

Make Pumpkin Brittle:
1. Cook 1 cup of sugar as above in caramel directions. When sugar is a deep golden caramel color, add 1 cup of pumpkin seeds. Stir until all seeds are completely covered with caramel.
2. Then turn the hot brittle out onto a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Use the back of a wooden spoon to spread the hot brittle into as thin a layer as possible. Careful, caramel is very hot!
3. Cool completely. When set, break into small pieces and use as garnish on pumpkin flan.

To Serve
1. Run a thin knife between flan and side of dish to loosen. Shake dish gently from side to side and when flan moves freely in dish, invert a large platter with a lip over dish, Holding dish and platter securely together invert and turn out flan onto platter. (Caramel will pour out over and around flan.)
2. Sprinkle flan with pieces of pumpkin brittle just before serving.

Note: Flan can be chilled several days. Pumpkin brittle will keep in an airtight container at room temperature or can be frozen in a plastic bag or container.