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 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
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.
