It’s no secret that Atlas has some of the best desserts on island. So why not recreate proprietress Gabrielle Gould‘s sweet sensations right in your very own kitchen this holiday season? First up is her mouth-watering Pumpkin Mille Feuille. From the Wife Mama Foodie blog, this dessert is easily made Gluten Free or dairy free to meet your table’s various dietary restrictions. (We will also add that it satisfies perfectly the next day for breakfast…)
You will need two small baking pumpkins OR two cans of pumpkin puree (not pre-spiced) OR one large ambercup squash. If roasting the pumpkins/squash, set oven to 400 degrees and roast 1/2 of the pumpkins (1/4 of the Ambercup squash) for 45 minutes or until soft with a little olive oil. Once roasted, scoop it all out and puree in a blender or food processor until you have 3 cups total.
Make the 5-spice mix: 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ tsp ground ginger, ½ tsp allspice, ½ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground clove.
Next, puree in a blender until smooth the following:
2 cups flour (use Cup 4 Cup to go GF)
6 eggs
2 cups milk (use almond or oat to go DF)
¼ cup maple syrup (or honey or sugar)
¾ cup of the pumpkin puree
¾ tsp of the 5-spice mix
Set aside.
Take the remaining 3 cups of pumpkin puree (or remainder of open can plus your second can) and add 1 tsp of pumpkin spice, 1 cup maple syrup (or ¾ cup honey or sugar) and a tablespoon of butter or dairy free substitute and stir together over heat until combined. Set aside.
To make the crepes, take a stick of butter and keep half still in the paper so that you use it like a paintbrush (or alternatively, spray on vegetable oil). Get a 9-11” pan hot, paint butter on and then pour in from the blender about ¼ cup of batter and swirl until you make a flat crepe/pancake. Make as many as you can with your batter.
Once you’ve made your crepes, place one down and smooth about a tablespoon of the pumpkin mix all over on top. Layer another crepe on top and repeat until cake height.
Options for topping include:
Candied nuts – pecans, almonds and walnuts. Take ½ cup lightly chopped and stir over heat with a few tsp of maple syrup until sticky. Place on a plate and spread out to cool.
Whipped cream. Add a little syrup and ¼ tsp of the spice mix and whip away! You can use coconut cream for DF option.
Spiced syrup. Add ½ tsp of spice mix into maple syrup, stir and pour.
Vanilla ice cream.
Slice, plate, add topping and serve!
Or, try Gabrielle’s Chocolate Soufflé Cake.
Butter and sugar a Springform cake pan and set aside. Heat your oven to 325 degrees.
Ingredients:
1 lb bittersweet chocolate (recommend using a block and chopping into small pieces, but Ghirardelli sells a great chip for all baking needs)
1 ½ sticks of butter
9 eggs separated
¾ cup sugar
Melt your chocolate and sugar together in a pot, stirring constantly so that it does not burn (or use your microwave). Set aside to cool slightly.
Beat egg yolks and sugar for 3-5 minutes until light and fluffy. Beat the whites until peaks form (be sure not to over beat, as they should not be dry but should hold a peak).
Add ½ your chocolate to the yolks, folding in. Then add ½ your egg whites, again folding in. Repeat making sure your mixture stays light and fluffy (do not over mix). Pour mixture into your sugared Springform pan and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Edges will be set but the center should still jiggle. Remove and cool.
Once cool, remove Springform and dust cake with cocoa powder and powdered sugar. Serve with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or crème anglaise.
Last but not least, Gabrielle’s crowd-pleasing Flan.
You will need 12 ramekins for this recipe, intended to produce 12 individual flans. If you have a smaller guest list, feel free to cut the recipe in half for six or in thirds for a party of four.
Heat your oven to 350.
Prepare a hot water bath with approximately ¼ inch of water.
On the stove, bring ¾ cup of water and ¼ cup of sugar to a boil, swirling in the pot until it turns a nice amber color. Remove from heat and whisk in the honey (it will bubble up and that’s okay!) Once it has settled, pour just enough to coat the bottom of each ramekin. This will set fast, so move quickly. Set aside.
Boil 6 cups of milk. If you’re using whole vanilla beans, add them in once it’s come to a boil and let sit for 10 minutes. When time is up, remove the beans and slice them length wise to remove the seeds and add seeds back to the milk, stirring to incorporate. If you are using vanilla bean powder, add powder in once the milk has boiled and let sit for 10 minutes, then stir to incorporate. And if you are using liquid vanilla extract, boil the milk, let sit for 10 minutes, and then stir in your vanilla.
Beat in honey or sugar until dissolved and then beat the eggs and gradually add the hot milk mixture.
Pour this over the set caramel in the ramekins to ¾ full. Place in the hot water bath and in the oven for 45 minutes. They will still have a little jiggle when time is up and that is okay as they will finish setting in the fridge.
Let cool for at least 3 hours. To plate, take a knife and slip around the edge of the ramekin, invert onto plate and give a good smack with the plate in hand. The flan should slip out easily. Swirl some caramel around the plate and serve.
