Pumpkin purée
I roasted 2 small sugar pumpkins and 1 kabocha squash.
A baking pumpkin, 4 – 6 lbs Sugar pumpkin, kabocha squash, butternut squash, Red Kuri squash or some combination.
Heat oven to 200°C/400°F
Slice a small piece of skin off one side so it will lay flat without rolling. Using a large cleaver and mallet, remove the stem and split the pumpkin in half from top to bottom. Scoop out the seeds. Rinse and reserve them for roasting.
Sprinkle the flesh with kosher salt and lay the halves flesh side down on a prepared pan, 30 – 45 minutes or until done, when a knife is easily inserted. Test in a few places.
Cool, then remove the skin.
Place flesh in cheesecloth and squeeze until as much moisture is removed as possible. Kabocha is denser than a sugar pumpkin and has a greenish colour closer to the rind. I used most of the Kabocha flesh, leaving the really green stuff. Place in a food processor with the metal blade. If the blade won’t move, add a very small amount of liquid, by teaspoons, to make a very thick puree. Get all the lumps out or pick them out later. Freeze any leftovers.
Adapted from Pumpkin Puree, Altonbrown.com
Pumpkin filling
3 large (150 g) eggs, at room temperature
15 ounces pumpkin purée (425 g) as above OR 1-15 ounce can (425 g) pure pumpkin puree (no spices added)
1/2 c (120 ml/g) heavy whipping cream, at room temperature (cream with a 36-40% butterfat content)
1/2 c (100 g) light brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground cloves (use freshly ground if you can) – I replaced cloves with garam masala #1
1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp (2 g) salt
Adapted from Pumpkin Pie Recipe, joyofbaking.com
Pastry
1 1/4 c (175 g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 tsp (7 g) granulated white sugar
1/2 c (113 g) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) pieces
3 – 4 tbsp (30-60 ml) ice water
In a food processor, place the flour, salt, and sugar and process until combined. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles a coarse meal (about 15 seconds). Pour 1/8 cup (30 ml) water in a slow, steady stream, through the feed tube until the dough just holds together when pinched. If necessary, add more water. Do not process for more than 30 seconds.
Turn the dough onto your work surface and gather into a ball. Divide the pastry in half, flatten each half into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes to one hour before using. This will chill the butter and relax the gluten in the flour.
The recipe doubles well.
Make the tarts
Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F
Have ready one 24 or two 12 mini muffin tin pans. After the dough has chilled, remove it from the fridge, and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the pastry dough until about 1/8 inch or even a little thinner. Using a round cutter, 2 3/4″ (7 cm), cut out 24 rounds, or use a size suitable for your tin. Cover and place cut rounds in the fridge for about 10 to 15 minutes to rest.
Bake for 22 – 23 minutes. Start checking at 15 minutes, then every 3 or 4 minutes until a knife comes out with a little moisture.