I was driving home from the grocery store(s) this evening (I have a sick habit of going to more than one, just because I like this one for these things, and that for others. And, I can only afford to go to Whole Foods for select goods. I try to control myself there. I try, and I steer clear of the temptations of the cheese and charcuturie counter), singing loudly along with an acoustic version of Steve Nicks’ Landslide and thinking how much I love this time of the year. I am solidly a Four Seasons kind of girl. I need change, and the cold and the rain as much as the sun and the humidity (sometimes I could do with less of that). November is actually a pretty glorious time in North Carolina, much more autumnal than October, though that’s a nice month, too. November here is the way you imagine October should be, and probably was, once upon a time and before global warming, with smoke-scented air and yellow carpets of leaves, stained by black walnuts. Short days and twilight at 5 p.m., I even like you right now, though I’m sure I’ll be tired of that by mid-January.

We’ve had such a nice few days…if only every week could be two days of work interspersed with a long weekend of geography (for Kelly, not me) in Charleston (a lovely place, truly, but no competition for the place New Orleans holds in my heart), and a festive Thanksgiving with my mom, one of my sisters, and three of our guy friends, walks and a trip to the new, fancy dog park with the pooches, flannel sheets on the bed and hot apple cider in my biggest, bluest mug. Tonight, two of the guys came back to eat leftover turkey, gravy, stuffing, and pie, and now they’re building and conquering with Kelly in the dining room.

The furnace guys were here all week, but still no heat. I’m getting more used to it. Again, it’s good for pastry making, this dry, chilly weather.

Anyway, I wanted to post this recipe while it’s still November and stubborn people like me - and you? - can still hold onto a season they are not ready to have end and ignore the jingle bells. We still have almost have a week of November, folks! So keep eating pumpkin and push away the nog. Pumpkin’s still in season, in any case, so you’re being responsible by eating your share.

My original idea with Thanksgiving was to have a light(ish) dessert, something we could stomach after the glut of turkey and the siren of tryptophan. Of course I made more. And of course my mom brought pie despite herself. I mean, I couldn’t refuse her when I heard she had some ones languishing at home. Still, among the coconut pie and the most excellent pumpkin and the apple tart, these babies stood out. They taste like the best sort of pumpkin pie filling, sans crust, smooth and clovey. I added the whipped cream because I wanted something to cut the sweetness of the custard, yet push the spicy flavor one step higher, and that led me to my spice shelf and the overlooked, under-used bag of star anise I bought at an Asian market last year. I tend to like my whipped cream barely sweetened, more on the sour side, so adding creme fraiche wasn’t a stretch, but you could probably even use sour cream. Just play with it, adjust it to your taste, and remember that you can always add more sugar (or syrup, in this case), but you can’t take it out.

Maple Pumpkin Pots de Creme with Star Anise-Creme Fraiche Whipped Cream
Adapted from Gourmet

Yield: 8 custards

1 cup heavy cream, the best you can buy
3/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
7 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt

For whipped cream

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
5-6 star anise, crushed a bit with a rolling pin or other heavy object
1 vanilla bean, spilt open
about a cup to 1 1/2 cup good heavy cream
Equivalent amount of creme fraiche

Preheat oven to 325.

Whisk together cream, milk, syrup, and pumpkin in a heavy saucepan and bring just to a simmer over moderate heat.

Whisk together yolks, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl.

Add hot pumpkin mixture to yolks in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup, then divide among custard cups (you may have some custard left over, depending on size of cups). Bake custards in a hot water bath (boil water in a kettle, add about two inches to pan - you don’t want the water to cover or even lap closely to the top of the custards, but go about mid way up their sides), the pan covered tightly with foil, in middle of oven until a knife inserted in center of a custard comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer custards to a rack to cool completely. Chill, individually covered with plastic wrap, until cold, at least 2 hours.

Pots de creme can be chilled up to 2 days.

Take the star anise, water, and sugar and simmer in a saucepan. Add the vanilla bean, scraping the inside into the pan. Boil gently until reduced by about half, or the liquid has become syrupy and can coat the back of a spoon. Cool, store in fridge for up to two days.

Make the whipped cream immediately before serving. Strain star anise syrup and pour about half into mixing bowl with heavy cream and creme fraiche. Whip. Adjust cream to taste, adding more creme fraiche, cream or syrup.

Unwrap pots de creme. Dollop whipped cream on top. Add a star anise for decoration.