Ritz-Carlton executive pastry chef Simone Faure would like to practice a little voodoo on her pumpkin flan, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says she has to use plain vanilla.

The flan is one of more than a dozen pumpkin desserts that Faure is overseeing for a special Pumpkin Extravaganza Brunch. But the flan has special significance to her for a couple of reasons: She learned to make it from a mentor, James Satterwhite, another Ritz pastry chef; and his original recipe called for an ingredient that reminded her of the many generations of family history in her native New Orleans.

That ingredient was tonka bean, which is currently banned for use in food in the United States. But Faure knew that she had seen - and smelled - the unusual bean when she was growing up.

"My grandmother practiced voodoo, and when I found out what the bean looked like, I remembered that it was something she had back in New Orleans," Faure said. "It's incredibly aromatic - like a vanilla bean, but much stronger and more complex."

Faure provided her current recipe for the flan, which uses vanilla extract instead of tonka bean, as well as recipes for two other pumpkin desserts that she will serve.

"These recipes have been passed down to me from different pastry chefs, but I've adapted them to make them my own," Faure said.

All three recipes use canned pumpkin. "If you were making a soup or a chutney, you'd want fresh pumpkin cut into chunks," Faure said. "But for pastry and desserts, you want a smoother texture.

"If you were to start with a fresh pumpkin, there's so much labor involved in breaking it down, plus the texture completely changes and is different from what you'd want in a dessert."

Pumpkin Cupcakes

with Honey Frosting

Yield: 12 cupcakes

For cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

For frosting:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 (8-ounce) block regular or reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1. Prepare the cupcakes: Grease and flour 12 cupcake cups or insert paper liners. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and pumpkin-pie spice. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, sugar, melted butter and pumpkin until combined. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mixture; mix gently until smooth. Batter will be thick.

3. Completely fill each cupcake cup with batter; smooth the tops with a spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of a cupcake comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in pan, then remove from pan, and cool completely, right side up, on a rack.

4. Make the frosting: In a medium bowl, whisk softened butter, cream cheese, honey and cinnamon until smooth. Spread over cupcakes or pipe a decorative design using a piping bag and tip.

Tester's note: Texture is more like a moist, dense spicy pumpkin tea cake than a traditional cupcake. The honey-butter frosting adds the perfect finishing touch. This frosting does not contain powdered or granulated sugar. Refrigerate leftover cupcakes.

Per cupcake: 446 calories; 23g fat (46 percent calories from fat); 14g saturated fat; 97mg cholesterol; 6g protein; 55g carbohydrate; 32g sugar; 2g fiber; 380mg sodium; 41mg calcium; 150mg potassium.

Pumpkin Fudge

Yield: 48 pieces

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter

3 cups granulated sugar

2/3 cup sour cream

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 (11-ounce) package butterscotch chips

1 (7-ounce) jar marshmallow creme

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Line an 8or 9-inch-square pan with aluminum foil; spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Cook butter in a heavy-bottomed 21/2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the butter is just melted, about 2 minutes. Stir in sugar, sour cream, pumpkin, corn syrup and pumpkin pie spice. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes together, about 3 to 4 minutes, then insert a candy thermometer. Continue to cook, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan constantly, until the mixture reaches 234 degrees (soft-ball stage), about 12 to 15 minutes.

3. Immediately remove the pan from the heat; add butterscotch chips, marshmallow creme and vanilla. Stir quickly and vigorously until the chips melt and the mixture is smooth and well-combined, about 4 to 5 minutes.

4. Pour the fudge into the prepared pan, and allow to cool and set at room temperature, about 4 hours. Once the fudge is set, cut it into small pieces and serve. (Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least a week.)

Tester's note: Smooth, creamy and rich. The candy thermometer makes the recipe easy, but be sure to stir constantly or the mixture will burn quickly.

Per piece: 130 calories; 5g fat (35 percent calories from fat); 3.5g saturated fat; 9mg cholesterol; no protein; 21g carbohydrate; 20g sugar; no fiber; 10mg sodium; 7mg calcium; 15mg potassium.

Pumpkin Flan

Yield: 12 to 14 servings

2 cups granulated sugar, divided

2 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided

1 cup whole milk

5 whole large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 3/4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup powdered sugar

3 to 4 tablespoons honey

1 pinch ground red (cayenne) pepper

1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a 2-quart soufflé dish that is 81/2 inches in diameter and 31/2 inches deep or a round ceramic casserole dish in the oven while making the caramel.

2. Place 1 cup granulated sugar in a dry 2-quart saucepan over moderate heat. Do not stir until it begins to melt, about 2 to 3 minutes, then continue to cook, stirring occasionally with a fork, until sugar melts into a deep golden caramel, about 4 to 5 minutes. Watch carefully; sugar can burn quickly once it starts to darken.

3. Wearing oven mitts, remove hot dish from oven and immediately pour caramel into dish, tilting it to cover bottom and side with caramel. Caramel and dish will be extremely hot. Keep tilting as caramel cools and thickens enough to coat, then let harden. Leave oven on.

4. Bring 11/2 cups cream and milk to a bare simmer in a 2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, then remove from heat. (Do not let mixture get too hot or eggs will curdle.) Whisk together whole eggs, yolk and remaining 1 cup granulated sugar in a large bowl, then whisk in pumpkin, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice and salt until well combined. Add cream mixture in a slow stream, whisking constantly.

5. Pour custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, scraping with a rubber spatula to force through, and stir to combine well. Discard particles left in sieve. Pour custard over caramel in dish. Place dish in a 9-by-13-inch baking pan; add 1 inch of water to baking pan. Bake until flan is golden brown on top and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 11/2 hours.

6. Carefully remove dish from water bath and transfer to a rack to cool. Chill flan, covered, until cold, at least 6 hours.

7. Run a thin knife between flan and side of dish to loosen. Shake dish gently from side to side and, when flan moves freely in dish, invert a large platter with a lip over the dish. Holding dish and platter securely together, quickly invert and turn the flan onto the platter. (Caramel will pour out over and around flan.)

8. Using an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat remaining 1 cup cream, powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons honey and cayenne on medium-high for about 2 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Add more honey to taste. Serve over flan.

Tester's note: Easiest flan recipe ever, ultra-smooth and rich. The cayenne pepper in the sweetened whipped cream is a special surprise; the subtle flavor highlights the pumpkin and spices.

Per serving (based on 14): 348 calories; 19g fat (49 percent calories from fat); 11g saturated fat; 151mg cholesterol; 4g protein; 41g carbohydrate; 38g sugar; 1g fiber; 90mg sodium; 70mg calcium; 150mg potassium.