2000s Recipes + Menus

Pumpkin Tart with Anise-Seed Crust

Serves8
  • Active time:30 min
  • Start to finish:3 hr (includes making pastry)
November 2008
Truth be told, it’s hard to reinvent the Thanksgiving wheel year after year. But this crust—anise seeds baked into sweet pastry dough—is a little kiss of Italian spice; it takes pumpkin pie to a whole new level.

For pastry

For pumpkin filling

  • 1 1/2 cups pure pumpkin (from a 15-oz can;
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 3/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
  • Pinch of ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 1/3 cups heavy cream

  • Special equipment:

    an 11- by 1 1/4-inch fluted round tart pan (1 1/4 inch deep) with a removable bottom; pie weights or dried beans

  • Accompaniment:

    lightly sweetened whipped cream

Make tart shell:

  • Prepare dough, adding anise seeds to dry ingredients, and chill as directed in dough recipe. Roll out dough into a 14-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin, then fit into tart pan and trim excess dough. Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.
  • Lightly prick bottom of shell with a fork, then line with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake shell until side is set and edge is pale golden, about 15 minutes.
  • Remove foil and weights and bake shell until golden all over, about 15 minutes more. Cool completely in pan. Leave oven on.

Fill and bake tart:

  • Whisk together pumpkin, sugar, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in eggs, then cream.
  • Pour filling into cooled tart shell and bake until puffed about 1 1/2 inches from edge and center is just set, 40 to 45 minutes. (Cover edge of tart with foil if browning too quickly.) Cool in pan, about 2 hours. (Tart will continue to set as it cools.)
Cooks’ note: Tart shell can be baked 1 day ahead and kept (once cool), wrapped in plastic wrap, at room temperature.

Recipe by Maggie Ruggiero

Photograph by Jonny Valiant

Keywords
maggie ruggiero,
thanksgiving,
fall,
dessert,
pastry

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