You need a very thick hob and oven proof pan for best results but you can use a saucepan to make the caramel and a baking tin for the pie. Please be very careful with the hot sugar, it can burn you badly.
You will need;
pumpkin, peeled and cut in thin slices
sugar, plenty to cover the base of your pan - 3 or 4 tablespoons
margarine or vegan butter, about a tablespoon.
some puff pastry, ready made is fine, or another crust of your choice.
Put your pan on the hob and add the sugar. Over a medium heat allow the sugar to heat and melt. As it melts it will turn golden in colour. You can stir it a little to spread the heat and avoid hot spots. As soon as it is all gold, turn off the heat and mix in the marg. or butter. If you're using a separate baking dish then grease it and pour in the caramel. Swirl it around to cover the base.
Arrange your pumpkin pieces neatly over the caramel. Remember they will be visible when you serve the pie so try to make a neat pattern. Don't make more than two layers of very thinly sliced pumpkin. You can sprinkle on some cinnamon or nutmeg or your favourite pumpkin spice if you like now.
Roll out your pastry and cut a generous sheet to cover the pumpkin and tuck down around the edges. Remember the caramel will still be hot, so take care.
Cook the tart at about 180C or a little hotter for abut 30 or 40 minutes. You want lovely golden pastry and the fruit to be cooked underneath it. When you take it out of the oven, it should look like the picture above, all puffed up and with the caramel sizzling around the edges.
Get a serving dish with a lip to catch the sweet juices and big enough to entirely cover your baking dish. With oven gloved hands place the serving dish upside down over the pie, then pick up dish and pan and invert them so that the pie drops out into the serving dish. If it sticks a few taps on the bottom and a little patience should bring it out. Any bits of pumpkin stuck in the pan can be popped back onto the tart where they belong.
The caramel will run down over the tart and into the server, which is why it needs to have a lip. The tart is delicious served warm or cold with cream. I served mine with some of the banana ice cream that I like to make, you can find the recipe here.
3 comments:
That looks amazing! You are inspiring me to get back into the kitchen.
Thanks for the comment about the cat, it made me feel better. I put down some food, he wouldn't come close but carried the little tin under a car and gobbled it up, I noticed that someone else had put down some milk. I checked on him a little later, but there was no sign of him anywhere, I think/hope that the person who left the milk must have come back and given him a home.
Thank you.
I'm glad the cat seems to have found a home, I was almost set to have you send him to me as I'm missing cats now my poor old black cat has gone. But perhaps I should look closer to home.
Thank you for that recipe - I had not thought of using pumpkin. My daughter loves puds but is allergic to apples and pears, peaches and so on.
When in France, try using figs (those she can eat) - absolutely devine.
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