Pumpkin Tart

I was such a huge fan of the chocolate tart I made a few weeks ago that I decided to adapt the recipe to pumpkin for Thanksgiving. And not only was my creation delicious, but it was sturdy too! This little tart managed to survive a frantic cab ride to Grand Central, a crowded train ride to Connecticut, and a car ride to my house in the trunk, all without a single crack. The store-bought pastries I brought to Thanksgiving last year were destroyed within about ten minutes of leaving my apartment. Major improvement.

This was so good. The crust/filling ratio is higher for this tart than it is for pumpkin pie, but otherwise, the recipe is exactly the same. So, if you want to make a pie, just double the filling and it should fit perfectly. You shouldn't have to change any measurements for the crust part of the recipe, it easily makes enough to fit a pie dish. Yum!

Pumpkin Tart

INGREDIENTS:

For crust:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tbsp sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces

1 large egg

2 tbsp water

For filling:

1/2 of a 15 ounce can of pumpkin puree

1/2 of a 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk

1 egg

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ginger

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Place flour, sugar, salt, butter, one egg, and water in a food processor. Pulse until blended into one large ball of dough.

3. Roll dough out on a floured surface, into an approximately 12" circle. Roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it on top of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.

4. Press the dough into the pan so it fits into all the edges, particularly on the sides of the tart pan. Trim the excess dough from the edges of the pan.

5. Refrigerate the tart dough for 10 minutes.

6. Remove the tart from the refridgerator, and line the inside of the tart with aluminum foil. Place pie weights (or dried beans, or rice) in the foil.

7. Bake for 30 minutes (the tart is easier to bake if you place the tart shell on a cookie sheet).

8. Remove the tart from the oven and remove the foil and pie weights. Return to the oven and continue to bake for another 3-5 minutes, or until the tart's edges are is golden, but not browned. Place on a counter or table to cool the tart shell.

9. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

10. In a medium saucepan, on low heat, heat the pumpkin, salt and spices for 2-3 minutes. Add sweetened condensed milk, and heat to a scald (bubbles around the edges of the pan but not boiling).

11. Remove from heat and whisk in egg, until blended.

12. Pour the filling into the cooled tart shell and bake 25 minutes, or until the filling is set but still wobbly. Allow to cool, and serve.

Serves 8.