Servings: 8
1 envelope (¼ -ounce) unflavored gelatin
1½ cups half-and-half
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup canned 100 percent pure pumpkin, like Libby’s (do not use pumpkin pie filling)
½ cup granulated sugar
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch ground cardamom
Pinch sea salt
Pecan Praline Hash, for garnish (recipe follows)
Place ½ cup of the half-and-half in a medium-size saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the half-and-half and allow to soften for 5 minutes. While the gelatin is softening, blend the remaining half-and-half, cream, pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.
Heat the half-and-half and gelatin over low heat, stirring until the gelatin is dissolved. Add the cream/pumpkin mixture to the saucepan, raising heat to medium-low. Whisking occasionally, cook the pumpkin mixture until steam rises from surface and tiny bubbles form around edges. Be careful not to let mixture boil.
Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Remove cover, then divide mixture among 8 dessert glasses, or custard cups. When cool, cover with plastic wrap. Chill until firm, about 6 hours, or overnight.
Serve Pumpkin Panna Cotta from dessert glasses, or unmold custard cups onto a shallow dish. (To unmold, run a knife around the inside edge of the custard cup, invert onto the dish and serve immediately.) Top each portion, with a tablespoon, or two, of Pecan Praline Hash, if desired.
Yield: 1½ cups
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
1½ cups coarsely chopped pecans
Nonstick cooking spray
Aluminum foil
Heat the oven to 325 F. Lightly spray a rimmed cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray.
Mix the granulated sugar and cinnamon; set aside. Place sheet of aluminum foil on a second baking sheet; set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl, with a rotary beater, lightly beat egg white until foamy. Add brown sugar, mixing until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the pecan pieces, tossing to coat. Spread the pecan mixture in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Stirring occasionally, bake pecans until they are golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove pecans from oven and with two forks, stir to loosen nuts from baking sheet. Remove nuts to the prepared aluminum foil-lined baking sheet and sprinkle with reserved sugar and cinnamon mixture, stirring lightly to blend.
Cool nuts completely on sheet. When cool, store praline topping in an airtight container for up to two weeks.