PUMPKIN TWIST. Halloween may be done, but pumpkin season rolls on. Canned or fresh, pumpkin is full of carotenoids and fiber, and it boasts more potassium than a banana. Pictured is a pumpkin treat with a Thai twist: Thai Pumpkin Custard. (AP Photo/Matthew Mead)

From The Asian Reporter, V23, #22 (November 18, 2013), page 16.

A healthy, Thai take on the Thanksgiving pumpkin

By Sara Moulton
The Associated Press

Halloween may be done, but pumpkin season rolls on! And it’s a welcome fact of life for a pumpkin lover like me.

I’m a fan of traditional American pumpkin pie, of course, but I also know that pumpkin is versatile, and I thought I might be able to internationalize it a little, too. This recipe, which reflects the influence of Thai cuisine, is a good example. It stars Thai staples like kaffir lime leaves and coconut milk, and complements them with fat-free evaporated milk.

I used to think Thai food owed almost all of its Thai-ness to lemongrass. But that was before I learned about kaffir lime leaves. When I was finally introduced to them, I was knocked out by the intensity and richness of their scent and taste, and impressed by their ability to improve both sweet and savory dishes.

I like to use them to infuse sugar syrup, then add it to lemonade or iced tea. You can find kaffir lime leaves in Asian grocery markets, online, and often at natural foods stores. You can find them fresh (they freeze and store well), or even thinly sliced and jarred.

This recipe calls for canned pumpkin, an ingredient at which I used to turn up my nose. Happily, I figured out after a while that pumpkins, like tomatoes, don’t suffer from canning. They’re harvested at peak ripeness, then cooked and canned immediately, which ensures that both flavor and health benefits are retained.

Besides, who has the time to cut up, seed, cook, and purée fresh pumpkin, especially when fresh pumpkin can be watery and lackluster? Still, be sure to read the label. You want "solid pack" canned pumpkin with no added sugar, salt, or other additives.

Deliciousness aside, pumpkin is a smart choice for dessert. Canned or fresh, it’s full of carotenoids and fiber, and it boasts more potassium than a banana. And a cup of canned pumpkin has just 80 calories.

We use fat-free evaporated milk because it has a lovely creaminess. Combined with the coconut milk, as it is here, it delivers the kind of creamy texture that defines a custard ... without all the fat and calories. In the end, nobody will suspect that they’re digging into custard "lite."

Editor’s Note: Sara Moulton was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years, and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows. She currently stars in public television’s "Sara’s Weeknight Meals" and has written three cookbooks, including Sara Moulton’s Everyday Family Dinners.

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Start to finish:

7 hours, 30 minutes

(20 minutes active)

Servings: 6