Bruleed Pumpkin Pie

By á-6416

Ingredients

• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
• 10 whole black peppercorns
• 4 whole cloves
• 1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and halved
• 2 large eggs
• 1 can (15 ounces) pure pumpkin
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• Pumpkin-Seed Piecrust, prebaked
• 1/4 cup superfine sugar (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

Step 1

Bring milk, cinnamon, vanilla-bean seeds, peppercorns, cloves, and ginger to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and gently simmer until milk is reduced by half, about 25 minutes. Let mixture cool completely, about 2 hours. Pour through a sieve into a bowl; discard solids. Strained milk can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 2 days.
Step 2

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Beat together eggs in a bowl. Whisk in pumpkin, then granulated sugar and salt. Whisk in strained milk and pour into prebaked piecrust. Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet and cover edges with foil, avoiding custard. Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until custard is just set in center, about 25 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire rack, at least 2 hours, then refrigerate, uncovered, at least 8 hours.
Step 3

When ready to serve, place 2 tablespoons superfine sugar in a sieve and evenly sift over top of pie (avoid crust). Move a small kitchen blowtorch back and forth across sugar until caramelized. Repeat with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, making a second caramelized layer, and serve immediately.