Golden custard made from seasonal pumpkin or butternut squash puree and all the warm spices make this tart one of my favourite desserts in Autumn! I cook a whole Crown Prince or Red Kiri squash in the ESSE for a couple of hours slowly and then spoon out the soft orange flesh. (Leave the large cheap bright orange pumpkins for carving as their water content is too high for this recipe)
You will need a 20cm tart tin. I pre cook the pastry in a hotter oven and lower the oven for cooking the filling as you want crisp golden pastry and a slowly cooked filling, which almost tastes treacly!
Method
For the shortcrust pastry:
- 200g spelt or plain flour
- 110g butter, cold and cubed
- 1 egg
For the filling:
- 300g pureed pumpkin
- 3 eggs
- 300ml double cream
- 110g soft brown sugar
- 2 level teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- A good pinch of sea salt
- Freshly grated nutmeg for the top
Method
- Make the pastry in the usual way, by rubbing the butter into the flour and then incorporating the egg, mix to a smooth dough. You may need to add a splash or two of cold water (depending on the size of the egg and what flour you are using).
- Roll out the pastry and use to line the tart tin. Leave for 20 minutes to let the pastry rest. The oven should be about 180C/200C (ESSE dial guide reading low end of HOT) to cook the pastry. Line the pastry with baking parchment paper, fill with baking beans and bake blind in the oven for about 15 minutes or until just starting to brown.
- Then lower the oven to about 150C (ESSE dial guide reading top end of COOL). To make the filling, simply beat the filling ingredients until smooth then carefully pour into the pastry case and bake for about 30 minutes or until just set, with a slight wobble. Grate a little nutmeg on the top and leave for about 15 minutes before serving.
Recipe created by Philippa Vine of Bluebell Farmhouse Kitchen using her ESSE Ironheart wood-fired cooking stove.
