Chocolate Pumpkin Tart

I love cooking with pumpkin but I can say that pumpkin pie is not very near the top of my list when it comes to favorite desserts. I have a token bite of pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving to honor the pilgrims but I'd rather eat something else. I also don't love pie crust - I'll eat any graham cracker or cookie crust but rarely the pastry dough type. In the past I have wondered if anyone has ever made a pumpkin pie with a gingersnap crust or something along those lines. I found the answer in my first edition of Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine - just signed up for a subscription.



I have to say, there wasn't a ton that caught my eye in that edition EXCEPT for the Chocolate-Pumpkin Tart. It has a chocolate cookie crust and you keep it from getting soggy by covering the crust with a layer of melted chocolate. Oh my. Oh my. It was incredible. I plan on having this little delicacy grace my Thanksgiving table from here on out. It is that good - it's almost like eating a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie in pie form. I think I need a piece right now.


Chocolate Pumpkin Tart

20 chocolate wafer cookies
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan
4 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted
1 1/2 cups cooled Sugar-Pumpkin Puree or canned pure pumpkin puree
1 large egg
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse cookies and sugar until finely ground. Add butter; pulse until crumbs are moistened. Using the bottom of a dry measuring cup, press crumbs into bottom (but not sides) of a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan. Place tart pan on a rimmed baking sheet; bake until set, about 12 minutes.
Pour chocolate onto warm crust; spread with a spatula. Freeze until chocolate is firm, about 5 minutes. Brush sides of tart pan with butter; set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together pumpkin, egg, cream, sugar, maple syrup, pumpkin-pie spice, and salt. Pour filling into prepared crust; bake on a rimmed baking sheet until set, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool 1 hour at room temperature; refrigerate 1 hour (or up to 1 day).
Unmold tart (if sides stick, gently loosen with a knife). With two thin metal spatulas, transfer to a platter.

Notes: the above directions are Martha's - I will add that it is OK to use salted butter, light or dark brown sugar is fine, Oreos work just as well as chocolate wafers (I used 15 and scraped out the creme in the middle), you don't have to use a tart pan or a 9" - I used a 10" springform pan and it was great. And who has "pure maple syrup" unless you've just been to Vermont or something? Use whatever you have except for butter flavored. Enjoy!

The Apple of my Eye

I feel like I owe you all a recipe. It has been a little while since I've posted one - I guess I haven't made anything new and spectacular lately. And I have been heavy on the sweet recipes I've been sharing. Plan on more savory ones to come! . . . Maybe. I love sugar, so we'll see.

In the meantime, here are some tips for you apple pie bakers.

One of my fondest memories as a youth in the Young Women's program at church was making apple pies with Sister Mulliner for a weeknight activity. We each had our own table where we worked. We made our dough from scratch and peeled and sliced all of the apples ourselves. Then we each brought our pie home to bake for our families. What a moment of satisfaction. So, of course I though of re-creating this nostalgic moment with our YW - all two of them. Yes, we only had two girls to work with. The night didn't go quite as gloriously as it was implanted in my mind from years before (we used Sister Mulliner's recipe for pie crust and it was yucky), but they did each leave with a pie to wow their parents with. I also left with a pretty badly cut finger. Ouch!

So here are a few tips for you that I learned from Sister Mulliner:

The secret to a good filling is adding Mace (the spice, not the predator repellant). Just a good dash will do it. Nutmeg and cinnamon are a must also. Lemon juice is helpful for maintaining some tartness. Pile as many apple slices in your unbaked crust as possible - make a HUGE pile! And use Granny Smith apples. When your pie is ready to bake, slide it into a brown paper grocery sack (the sack turned on its side so the opening is to the right or left, not the top), and fold down the opening a couple of times and staple shut. Place the whole thing on a cookie sheet. Bake for about an hour at 375 degrees, making sure the bag does not touch any sides of the oven. Check after an hour by cutting open the top of the bag - if it needs more browning, let it cook a little longer out in the open. Using the bag will prevent nasty spills in your oven and it will keep your crust from browning too much.



Here are some of MY tips: Don't make your own crust - buy Pillsbury! The one that comes with two rolled crusts in it is a good one. And don't bother with trying to top your pie with a second crust or a lattice one for heaven's sake! Try this topping - it's like sugar cookies on top - kind of a cross between a french apple pie and regular pie crust. In my opinion, I'd skip the crust all together and just go for the apples and the sugary-cookie top. Yum yum.

Topping:
1 stick butter, melted
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C flour

Mix this together to form a thick paste. "Crumble" on top of the pie. Then you are ready to put it in your paper bag.




PS - Here is a filling recipe if you need one:

5-6 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1 Tb. lemon juice
1 C white sugar
2 Tb. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
dash nutmeg
dash mace

Mix the apples with the lemon juice. Add the sugar, flour, and spices. Toss together until well coated. Pile into your pie crust.