Chocolate Crusted Pumpkin Tart

Thumbing through my brand new copy of Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts, this chocolate crusted pumpkin tart immediately jumped right out at me. (The recipe is actually calls for a spiderweb design, making this perfect for Halloween. Since it is neither October nor do I nor my tasters celebrate Halloween anyway, I omitted the piping work.) Although pumpkin is traditionally an American fall dessert, courtesy of Thanksgiving, here in Israel, I do as I please, especially as fresh pumpkin is abounding in the shuk. I had the canned stuff at home and some leftover sour cream and so finally got to work making this. I made the spiced chocolate dough the night before in my mixer-- such quick work!! It chilled overnight until I was ready for it. The pumpkin filling comes together so easily- simply whisk up a bunch of things in a bowl and strain. A word on straining-- it is imperative to get a smooth satiny filling. Do not skip this step! The resulting tart, in my humble opinion, is pretty attractive. The contrast of the dark chocolate and orange really is beautiful to behold, or maybe that's just the baker in me. Again, there were some girls who felt like the spices in the tart were too strong. On the other hand, I had a couple who loved it and one who actually ate most of the tart over a few days because she really loved it. This all could be because I baked this in a 9 inch tart instead of a ten inch tart and so the crust to filling ratio was high, making the spices more apparent, so do as I say not as I do and go for the ten inch tart or feel free to dial back the spices in the crust and filling as you wish. One more thing- be sure to chill the tart before serving. Due to the dairy in the filling, the baked tart can come off as a bit slimy and the time in the fridge will firm it up for you.

Chocolate Crusted Pumpkin Tart
from Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts

Crust:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter or margarine, cut into pieces
1 large egg
4 ounces semisweet chocolate

Filling:
1 can pumpkin puree
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
pinch ground cloves

To make the crust, place all of the dry ingredients in to the bowl of your mixer,

and stir to combine.

Add the margarine or butter,

and beat with the paddles attachment until the fat is the size of peas. Add the egg,

and mix just until ingredients form a dough. Wrap dough in plastic, refrigerate for an hour or up to two days.

Whenever you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350. Roll the dough out or press into a ten inch tart pan. Prick with a fork and chill an additional half hour. Bake about fifteen minutes or until dry.

As soon as the shell comes out of the oven, sprinkle the dark chocolate all over it.

Allow to soften and melt and spread with an offset spatula to cover the entire surface of the tart. Set aside while you make the filling.

For the filling, place all of the ingredients in a bowl, and whisk until smooth.

Strain in another bowl.

Pour the filling into the baked crust and bake for about forty minutes, or until set.

Cool completely and refrigerate before slicing and serving.