Pumpkin Tart

Pumpkin tart is a delicious dessert that tastes of autumn and home. Here is how we would prepare it with an Italian touch.

Ingredients

• For the shortcrust pastry:

  • 300 g of type 00 flour
  • 150 g of cold butter, cubed
  • 130 g of icing sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 pinch of salt

• For the pumpkin filling:

  • 500 g of cleaned pumpkin flesh
  • 200 g of granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 shot glass of orange liqueur (optional)
  • 1 pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 pinch of nutmeg
  • Grated zest of an orange
  • 100 ml of fresh cream

Preparation

1. Start with the shortcrust pastry. In a bowl, combine the flour with the cold butter and work with the fingertips until the mixture becomes sandy. Add sugar, egg, yolk, lemon zest, and salt. Work the dough until it forms a ball, cover it with cling film and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

2. For the filling, bake or steam the pumpkin flesh until soft and then pass it through a sieve or blend it to obtain a very fine puree.

3. In a bowl, mix the pumpkin puree with sugar and eggs. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest, liqueur if you wish to use it, and finally the fresh cream. Mix well all the ingredients until the mixture is homogeneous.

4. Roll out the shortcrust pastry into a thin layer and line a tart pan with it, previously buttered and floured. Prick the bottom with a fork, fill with the pumpkin filling and level the surface.

5. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 °C for about 40-50 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the filling has set.

6. Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving your pumpkin tart.

Curiosity

Pumpkin is very versatile and is used in various sweet and savory preparations, typical of the autumn period. In Italy, pumpkin is often used to prepare both sweet and savory ravioli (like the famous Mantuan pumpkin ravioli), often flavored with amaretti, mustard and Parmesan, creating unique taste contrasts.