Pumpkin Crème Caramel

Peel and chop the pumpkin. Boil for 10 minutes in lightly sweetened water.

Put half the sugar in a frying pan and heat over high heat. When it begins to smoke, carefully swirl the pan to mix. Reduce the heat.

Wait a few minutes, without stirring vigorously, until the caramel is light golden.

Warm the ramekins in a hot oven for 5 minutes. This keeps the caramel from setting too quickly and makes it easier to divide. Pour the caramel into the bottoms of the warm ramekins.

Drain the cooked, cooled pumpkin very thoroughly. Blend until smooth with 200 ml of the milk and the cinnamon.

Briefly whisk the eggs with the remaining sugar. Gradually add the remaining 400 ml of milk and stir to dissolve the sugar. Add the vanilla sugar, then the pumpkin purée, and mix well.

Divide the mixture between the caramel-lined ramekins. Stand them in a baking tray and pour in ice-cold water to reach halfway up their sides.

Bake in an oven preheated to 150 °C for about 50 minutes. Halfway through baking, add ice cubes to the water in the tray.

Allow the baked custards to cool completely. Refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Turn out onto plates and serve.