Pumpkin Custard Tart With Red-Wine Caramel Sauce

The tart fresh from the oven to be served

with the red-wine carmel sauce

Pumpkin Custard Tart With

Red-Wine Caramel Sauce

This recipe is dessert #2 chosen for our family Thanksgiving dinner. The family insists on a pumpkin pie for tradition. The remaining choice is the cook's choice. I found this recipe on epicurious.com. I thought I would try the recipe for the Red-Wine Caramel Sauce. If it failed I would make another choice for our pumpkin dessert. It turned out to be a winner and rather simple. Directions are very easy to follow. The Pumpkin Custard Tart recipe goes together rather simple.

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Ingredients:

1/2 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise

1 cup dry red wine

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

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Directions:

Scrape seeds from vanilla bean into small heavy saucepan, then add pod and wine. Boil over moderate heat until wine is reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 10 minutes. Discard pod.

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While wine is reducing, bring sugar and water to a boil in a 2 quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Boil, without stirring, washing down any sugar crystals on side of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water, until syrup turns pale golden. Continue to cook caramel, swirling pan, until deep golden.

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Remove from heat, then carefully pour wine down side of pan (caramel will vigorously steam and harden). Simmer, stirring, until caramel is dissolved and sauce is thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in butter and serve warm. Yield: 1 1/4 cups Red-wine caramel sauce keeps, covered and chilled, 1 week. Reheat before serving.

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For dough:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup whole almonds with skin (2 1/2 oz.), toasted.

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch each of ground ginger, cardamom, cloves, white pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg

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3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

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Directions:

Pulse almonds, flour, baking powder, salt, and spices in a food processor until nuts are very finely ground.

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Beat together butter and sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy, then beat in egg. Add flour mixture in 2 batches, mixing at low speed just until dough forms. Form dough into a disk and chill, wrapped in plastic, until firm, at least 2 hours.

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Pumpkin Custard: Whisk together brown sugar, eggs, molasses, salt, and spices. Whisk in pumpkin, then cream.

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For Pumpkin Filling:

Ingredients:

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon mild molasses

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon each ground cinnamon, mace, cloves, and freshly grates nutmeg

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1 3/4 cup canned solid pack pumpkin (15 oz.) or fresh pumpkin puree

2/3 cup heavy cream

2 tablespoons pine nuts

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Assemble And Bake Tart:

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F

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Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin into a 12" round. (Dough will be sticky, so rotate frequently and dust with flour as needed). Slide bottom of tart pan under dough and set the rim of tart pan. Press dough against side of pan and trim excess. (Dough cracks easy but can be patched.)

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Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake in lower third of oven until dough is set and pale golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Carefully remove weights, then add custard, spreading evenly. Sprinkle top with pine nuts and bake until filling is set, 30 to 35 minutes. (If edge of crust is browning too quickly, cover edge with foil or a piecrust shield.) Cool completely in pan on a rack.

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Remove rim of tart pan, leaving tart on pan bottom, and transfer to a platter.