Small Thanksgiving, small kitchen, or both? Our culinary manager Wes Martin has the perfect pumpkin pie workaround: quick and easy mini-pumpkin custards, with a just-right degree of sweetness, warming spice, and zingy ginger.
To complete your mini-feast, see his single-skillet turkey and stuffing and the world's easiest one-pot sides.
Serves four
Ingredients
6 small (2-inch) crisp gingersnap cookies, roughly crumbled, divided
1 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-inch piece fresh ginger, sliced into coins and smashed
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin powder
¾ cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
Sweetened whipped cream, ricotta, or yogurt for serving, optional
Recipe
Scatter ¾ of the crushed gingersnap cookies evenly in the bottoms of four 8-ounce ramekins, bowls, or coffee cups.
In a small saucepan, whisk together the cream, brown sugar, and cinnamon until combined; add the ginger. Heat over med-high heat until beginning to boil; remove from the heat and whisk in the gelatin until completely dissolved. Cool the mixture for 5 minutes in the pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk the pumpkin until loosened. Pour the cream mixture through a fine mesh strainer into the pumpkin, pressing on the solids with a rubber spatula to remove all of the liquid. Whisk the pumpkin mixture until smooth and divide it evenly among the cookie-lined cups. Chill for at least 2 hours and preferably overnight.
To serve, spoon whipped cream onto each custard and garnish with the remaining crushed cookies.
