Pumpkin Tart in Hazelnut Crust
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Makes 8 servings
Pumpkin pie is so scrumptious that is shouldn't be reserved for holiday
meals. My carefree version is also a very sophisticated rendition of
the beloved classic. I have made pumpkin pie from scratch with fresh
squash, but frankly, the canned variety is very good and has the taste
and texture that most people expect. For a professional-looking finish,
fit a a pastry bag with a 1/2-inch open star tip and fill with the
whipped cream. Pipe whipped cream rosettes around the edge of the tart
and sprinkle with chopped crystallized ginger.
Hazelnut Crust
1/4 cup coarsely chopped peeled hazelnuts
1/4 cup confectioner's sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 10 slices
Pinch of salt
1 cup unbleached flour
1 large egg yolk
Filling
One 15-ounce can solid-pack pumpkin (1 3/4 cups)
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg plus 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature, well-beaten
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice or 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon each
ground allspice and freshly grated nutmeg, and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Sweetened whipped cream (see Note), for serving
Chopped crystallized ginger, for garnish
- Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
- To make the crust, process the hazelnuts and confectioner's sugar in
a food processor until the nuts are finely ground into a powder, about
30 seconds. Add the flour and salt, and pulse until combined. Add the
butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few
pea-sized chunks of butter. With the machine running, add the yolk.
Pulse just until the mixture begins to clump together. Gather up the
dough.
- Press the dough firmly and evenly into a 9 1/4-inch round tart pan
with a removable bottom. Freeze for 15 minutes. Place the pan on a
baking sheet.
- To make the filling, combine the pumpkin, cream, granulated sugar,
brown sugar, egg, yolks, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves in a
medium bowl and whisk well to dissolve the sugar. Pour into the chilled
crust.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 325°F, and continue
baking until the filling is evenly puffed (the center may seem slightly
uncooked), about 50 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire cake rack and cool to room temperature. Remove
the side of the pan. (The easiest way to do this is to place the pan on
a large can, and let the side drop down like a ring around the can.)
Serve the tart at room temperature (or cover loosely with plastic wrap
and refrigerate until chilled), with a dollop of whipped cream and a
sprinkle of chopped ginger.
Note: Sweetened Whipped Cream
Place 1 cup chilled heavy cream in a chilled medium bowl, preferably
stainless steel. Add 2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar and 1/2
teaspoon vanilla extract. Using a hand-held electric mixer on high
speed, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Cover and refrigerate
until ready to serve.
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