Souffleed Pumpkin Pudding
Pastry Chef Nicole Plue
Serves 12

for the pudding:
3 cups Pumpkin puree
1/2 cup Sugar
2 Tbls. Orange juice
1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

4 each Egg yolks
1/4 cup Butter
1 Tbl. Flour
1/4 cup Crystallized ginger (optional)

2 each Egg whites
1/4 cup Sugar
1/2 cup Pecans, chopped

for the sauce:
1 lb. Dark brown sugar
1-1/4 cup Light corn syrup
4 oz. Butter
1 tsp. Salt

2 cups Cream
1 tsp. Vanilla extract

for the creme fraiche:
2 cups Creme fraiche
1 Tbl. Sugar
1/2 each Vanilla bean, seed only
2 Tbls. Rum

Preheat the oven to 400 F. In a small saucepan, heat the puree, sugar, orange juice and cinnamon. Cook gently for five minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in butter, yolks, flour and ginger. Cool. Whip the whites with the sugar until stiff peak. Fold whipped whites into pumpkin mixture. Fill 4" ramekins full and sprinkle with sugar and pecans. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes. Serve hot.

for the sauce:
In a saucepan, slowly bring brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the cream and vanilla.

for the Creme fraiche and to serve:
Combine all ingredients and whip to soft peaks. Serve the puddings while still warm with two Tbls. of the sauce over the top followed by a heaping Tbl. of the whipped creme fraiche.