Pumpkin Tart (v)

Pumpkin pie ... Just one of the things to look forward to each year for Thanksgiving for 24 years of my life! Along with sweet potato pie and my sister-in-law's wonderful squash casserole. Yummy! But guess what. My husband HATES any of these things. It's decidedly un-American. So... this year I have devised my very own recipe for a pumpkin pie. It's more tart than pie, so I'm calling it a pumpkin tart. Listen. You don't have to try it. But I challenge you to. The test-kitchen for this recipe happened to be at my mother's house. My mother who also doesn't like pumpkin pie. I'll tell you what was left of this 4-person pie after it came out of the oven... 1 wedge. One. Which is how I know it's as delicious to eat hot or cold. I can't wait to serve it my pumpkin tart to my husband, who looked at the picture and swore he'd try it. I'll let you know how it goes...

Ingredients and preparation - Pumpkin Tart

For  4 - 6 people

  • Butter
  • Pâte brisée - 1 pie crust
  • Pumpkin or preferably BUTTERNUT pumpkin because it has more flavor (freeze what you don't need or make soup with it. You'll need three cups or so.
  • 1/3 tsp dried thyme
  • 1/3 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 TBSP of butter
  • 1.5 TBSP of flour (regular)
  • 100ml chicken broth
  • 200ml cream (you can add the chicken broth and cream together to be prepared)
    • IN CUPS: chicken broth plus cream together = 300ml which equals to 1 + 1/4th cup of which 1/3 is chicken broth and 2/3 is cream 100ML = 0.42 CUPS, so just under 1/2 cup)
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 egg beaten for egg wash
  • 2 + 1 TBSP grated cheese of your choice like Comte, Emmental, or Gruyère, Gouda- measured out separately. I always use Gruyère as I don't want the cheese taste to overpower the star of the show. It's veg pie, not quiche.
  • Pepper and salt to taste
  • OPTIONAL:
    • 1/4 tsp of cinnamon
    • dash of nutmeg
Image
Image
Image
Image

Method

Pumpkin Filling

  • Use two generous hands-full of butternut cut into chunks = 3 cups or so
  • Heat butter, add the pumpkin,
  • Season with salt and pepper
    • cinnamon and nutmeg if you'd like to use it. Just how much is hard to say - it's really personal taste. I only use a dash of both
  • When pumpkin is tender, remove from heat and mash to a pulp with a potato masher - set aside to cool
  • In this instance I sautéed 6 triangles separately as a garnish, to tender and golden - set aside

Sauce

  • Heat butter
  • Add flour
  • Stir it around briefly without letting it turn golden, until it smells vaguely like cookies
  • Add cream/ broth mixture and stir well
  • Simmer the sauce until it thickens
  • Quickly stir in egg yolk, stir it well until they are completely incorporated into the sauce. This will help thicken the sauce further.
  • Season with pepper and taste for salt
  • Remove sauce from heat source
  • Stir in two tablespoons of cheese
  • Set aside to cool
Image
Image
Image
Image

Dough

  • Prepare the pie form, smear it well with butter on a paper towel
  • Drape the dough snugly into the form
  • No need to crimp the edges, just leave it
  • From the extra dough, you can make some decorations for garnish e.g. circles and half-moons and stars. Whatever you wish.
  • Prick the though with the tines of a fork (see picture)
  • Preheat oven to 220c (420F)

Assembling the tart

  • Take 3 generous TBSP of the sauce and mix through the pumpkin
    • taste for seasoning and add to taste - the depth of spices and herbs is up to you.
  • Spread butternut evenly across the bottom of the pie - probably to 1 cm thickness or so. (that's 1/2 inch)
  • Spoon the sauce across the pumpkin filling
    • don't do this all at once as it may be too much
    • You should slightly see the orange of the pumpkin beneath the sauce
  • Use the back of a spoon to make a pattern into the pie and gently push down so that you can see more of the pumpkin peeking through
    • as you can see I made a spiral but you can do any pattern you like, it's your kitchen! 
  • Fold the sides of the dough down to form a ring
  • Arrange garnish on the tart as you wish
  • Brush the dough and any dough-garnish pieces with egg-wash so they'll brown to a shine as the tart bakes in the oven
  • Bake at 220c for 20 to 30 minutes or until the sauce is slightly browned and the bottom of the crust is well done.
    • after 20 minutes you should probably monitor
    • you should be able to lift the pie our of the form more sturdily than a pizza, without breaking.
    Image
    Image

    Serving suggestions

    • By itself warm or cold
    • With buttery mashed potatoes and turkey or chicken, and cranberry sauce
    • Or with a salad

    Enjoy!
    Bren