Southwestern Pumpkin Flan

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bring sugar and 1/4 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Brush down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to prevent crystals from forming. Cook, without stirring, until sugar turns dark amber, about 8 minutes. Pour into a 9-inch round cake pan. Set aside to cool.

Blend pumpkin, condensed milk, and whole milk in a blender until smooth. Add eggs and yolk, cinnamon, salt, chile powder, cloves, and cayenne; blend until smooth. Pour mixture over caramel in pan. Carefully transfer pan to a large roasting pan. Add hot water to roasting pan to come 1 inch up sides of cake pan.

Bake until set and beginning to turn golden brown, about 1 1/2 hours. Let cool on a wire rack. Refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. Run a knife around edges; invert to unmold. Scrape remaining sauce from pan over flan. Serve immediately.