Hi, I’m Francis,
the host of this show "Cooking with Dog."
First, let’s prepare the kabocha squash, also known as Japanese pumpkin.
Using a knife, remove the firm skin.
Be careful not to cut yourself.
Then, slice the kabocha into 1cm or half inch slices.
Place them into a pot.
Pour the water over the kabocha until it is almost covered.
Turn on the burner
and simmer the kabocha until it becomes soft.
You can also steam the kabocha instead of simmering.
Now, strain the kabocha with a mesh strainer.
Place it into a blender.
When it is still hot, add the sugar
and half of the milk.
Cover
and blend the mixture, dissolving the sugar.
Then, add the rest of the milk,
whipping cream,
2 eggs,
rum
and the vanilla extract.
Using a spatula, clean the side of the blender.
Pulse or blend at low speed to avoid creating foam.
When it becomes smooth, strain the mixture with a fine mesh strainer.
Pour the mixture into a pitcher.
Let’s steam the pudding.
Pour the egg mixture into 6 custard cups.
Remove the foam on the surface with a spoon.
Now, turn off the burner
and place the cups into a pan of boiling water.
The cups should be submerged one third to one half of the way in the water.
Cover the cups with aluminum foil.
Place a lid on but leave it slightly off to help avoid overheating.
When it begins to boil again, reduce the heat to low
and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
Now, let’s check the firmness of the pudding.
If the surface is almost firm as shown,
cover again with the aluminum foil and the lid.
Then, turn off the burner.
Let it sit for 10 minutes until the pudding is completely firm.
And now, remove the cups.
The light-colored marks on the pudding
are leftover foam that hardened on the surface.
Now, the pumpkin pudding is completely chilled.
Pour the maple syrup on top and now it’s ready to serve.
This recipe is less likely to create bubbles or holes in the pudding
so adjusting the heat is easy compared to custard pudding.
Steam the egg mixture while it is still hot
so that you can reduce the cooking time.
The sweetness of the pudding depends on the type of the pumpkin
so adjust the amount of sugar to taste.
Good luck in the kitchen.