Thanksgiving is this week!! Ahh, I can`t believe 2014 is almost over, with a little over a month left to go. Can you believe it?! I felt like it was just New Years a few months ago.
You are probably really busy (maybe even super stressed, too?) if you`re hosting your family`s Thanksgiving dinner this year. The reins of the cooking lays in your hands and nobody wants to disappoint their family on Thanksgiving! But really, this day is about giving thanks and being thankful for all that you have. If your food gets a little cold because you were crazily running around the kitchen making another dish, it`s okay. Because, you`ll be with the people you love. Even if you`re with a large family setting, or with just one friend, or maybe no one. It`s always good to take a pause once in awhile and be thankful for everything you have in life!
I`m sure if you`re hosting a huge Thanksgiving feast, your dinner menu has been decided and you don`t need any last minute ideas. This post is mainly for those small Thanksgiving dinners. Maybe you couldn`t attend a big Thanksgiving dinner and it`s just you and a few friends. That doesn`t mean you shouldn`t be able to have pumpkin pie, right? I can`t have you miss out on some pumpkin pie action!
Pumpkin pie, to me, is part of the essential Thanksgiving dinner (food-wise). You may think it`s the turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberries, sweet potato pie, etc. Personally, it`s 3 things for me: apple pie, pumpkin pie, and mashed potatoes. Hey, to each our own right? Hehe. ;)
This tart is super simple to make. It`s free-form. It`s enough to serve 8 people. It`s just fabulous. It`s not thick like pumpkin pie, hence, not as filling. After stuffing ourselves with dinner, dessert may seem impossible sometimes. But alas, this rustic pumpkin tart will fulfill your pumpkin pie dreams and isn`t has heavy as a slice of pumpkin pie. It`s also, sort of portable. You can lift and eat it like a pizza and I just love that.
It takes about an hour to make and bake. If you`re having a small Thanksgiving dinner, or if there are other desserts and you want them all (like me!), this tart needs to happen for you. Don`t even think about it too much! :D
Psstt, if you`re looking for another nice pumpkin dessert, try this pumpkin cheesecake pie, it`s marvelous and definitely worth the slice or two or three!
I hope you`ll have a lovely, thankful, and wonderful Thanksgiving! I am definitely thankful for all you readers. Even if it`s just for a minute, I`m happy you`ve stumbled upon my personal internet space to look and oogle at the food I make. Thank you, thank you!! Now, let`s enjoy some pie, shall we? :)
Rustic Pumpkin Crumble Tart
Ingredients:
Pastry Dough/Crust:
-
1 ½ cup all purpose flour
-
2 tablespoon granulated sugar
-
¼ teaspoon salt
-
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold & cubed
-
3-6 tablespoon cold water
Pumpkin Filling:
-
1 large egg, lightly beaten
-
¾ cup pumpkin puree
-
¼ cup granulated sugar
-
¼ teaspoon salt
-
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
-
dash ground ginger
-
dash all spice
-
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
-
1 teaspoon heavy whipping cream
Crumble Topping:
-
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
-
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
-
dash teaspoon salt
-
dash teaspoon ground cinnamon
-
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Egg Wash:
-
1 large egg
-
1 teaspoon water
-
Demerara sugar (raw sugar)
Directions:
1.
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Pastry Dough/Crust:
2.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt until
combined.
3.
Using a pastry cutter (or fork), cut in the butter until mixture is
crumbly.
4.
Add 1 tablespoon of water at a time while using a fork to toss mixture
around until a dough ball forms (I used 5 tablespoons, but it will depend based
on your environment).
5.
Lay out a large sheet of parchment paper. Place dough ball in center and
roll out into a circle, about 12 inches in diameter. Roll from the center and
outwards, rotating around the circle until you reach about 12-13 inches.
6.
Transfer parchment paper, along with the rolled out crust on baking
sheet.
Pumpkin Filling:
7.
In a bowl, add the egg, pumpkin puree, sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger,
all spice, and vanilla until combined.
8.
Whisk in the heavy cream until combined. Set aside filling.
Crumble Topping:
9.
In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon until
combined.
10.
Cut in the butter until coarse crumbs form.
Assemble:
11.
Scoop pumpkin filling into the center of the crust and spread around,
leaving 1 ½ inches of crust all around.
12.
Fold up the ends of the crust, slightly over the pumpkin filling.
13.
In a small bowl, whisk together egg and water to make the egg wash.
Brush over the edges of the crust.
14.
Sprinkle crumble topping over the pumpkin filling.
15.
Sprinkle demerara sugar on the crust.
16.
Bake for about 40 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and filling
has set.
*Notes:
-
You may have extra crumble topping. Use enough to cover the pumpkin
filling, but do not pile too much on top.
Demerara sugar is raw
sugar, I used half of those small packets of Sugar in the Raw. This can be
replaced with regular sugar, too. Or, be omitted completely.
