A couple of months ago when I was perusing recipes for Thanksgiving – yes, I start thinking about this stuff more than the day before dinner – I came across an online recipe from La Cucina Italiana that looked interesting. A savory Pumpkin Tart in a puff pastry crust. Puff pastry is my friend, and savory pumpkin is my other friend. The two together sounded like something I needed to pursue a bit further.
The La Cucina Italiana website is fun – since the demise of the English edition, I have to rely on the Italian edition – because I’m just so fluent in Italian. Google translate makes a mockery of recipes and it’s only by actually knowing how to cook and understanding the metric system from my drug-taking days that I can figure out some of the recipes. I was able to grasp the concept of this one – the actual recipe didn’t matter.
I had time today to do some baking so off to the kitchen I went. I made a Pumpkin Caramel Swirl Cheese Cake and then decided to make the Pumpkin Tart. It was one of the easiest things I have ever attempted – and the house was full of autumn scents. It came out looking perfect, if I do say so m’self…
Victor came into the kitchen and said he didn’t think the puff pastry would last in the ‘fridge until Thursday. And then he said we should probably have it for dinner, tonight. Gotta love a man who thinks ahead.
He was probably right – puff pastry really doesn’t hold up well under refrigeration – and it was the perfect excuse to try a new dish.
What I really liked about this was we were able to actually taste pumpkin – not all of the spices normally associated with Pumpkin Pie. And no sugar. It was not at all sweet. The perfect balance of flavors. It was great.
Savory Pumpkin Pie
- ½ lb puff pastry
- 1 can pumpkin
- 2/3 cup minced shallots
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 3 oz grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
- 1/2 tsp thyme
- pinch garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
Preheat oven to 425°F / 220°C.
Roll out pastry to fit tart dish or pan. Refrigerate while making filling.
Saute shallots in butter until wilted. In bowl, mix cooked shallots with pumpkin. Add eggs and remaining ingredients, mixing well.
Pour into puff pastry crust and trim crust to fit pan. (It’s actually easier to fill the tart and then trim the crust – nothing falls down or gets under the crust.)
Place in hot oven and bake about 25 minutes or until tart is cooked and filling is set.
Cool and serve at room temperature.
I used shallots because I had shallots in the house. Onion would work – and so would leeks.
Since we had a lot left over – Nonna doesn’t eat pumpkin – the rest went into the ‘fridge for lunch tomorrow. We’ll get to see first hand how the puff pastry stands up under refrigeration. Personally, I think it will be just fine – and I’m really glad we ate it, tonight!