I suggest we start the week with a dessert. How about it? It’s easy to make and, even if it’s not exactly in its season, there are still chances you prepare it these days, since it has been a long winter and we’re experiencing a cold spring, so you can still find pumpkins. Let’s see what you have to do to obtain ten pieces/slices of tart (that’s how many I got and they weren’t too small – a 27 centimeter diameter tray):
You should start with the dough. For that you need a cup of flour. For those of you wondering “what type of cup does he use?”, well, I used a cup with a zodiac sign, with a Virgo, to be more precise. A cup like the majority of cups in the world (I’m referring to size). When kneading, I realized I needed two more tablespoons of flour, so I added them.
Also for the dough, you need two thirds of a pack of butter and three tablespoons of sugar, thoroughly whisked together.
Over the sugar and butter, two egg yolks, blended in with a wooden spoon/blender (the result is the same). And then comes the flour. Knead the dough, but not too much or else it becomes elastic and we don’t want an elastic dough, we want a crumbly one. In three-four minutes you get a soft dough (add a pinch of salt in the flour before you start kneading).
So soft that it can be put in the tray using your hands. Some say it’s not necessary to grease the tray with butter before stretching the dough. I prefer to be relaxed, so I will grease the tray a bit. Back to what I was explaining: after you stretched the dough (you can do this before as well), put it in cold temperature for half an hour. That’s because you want a short, not a dry tart. I’m referring to the support now, to the base.
After the dough has chilled, pre-heat the oven at 180 degrees Celsius, place a piece of parchment paper over the dough (to protect it) and bake it for a quarter of an hour or until it’s baked (it’s visible to the naked eye).
Meanwhile, you can deal with the filling. Un kilogram (approximately) of pumpkin, three tablespoons of sugar, one tablespoon of honey, three tablespoons of water, all in the same skillet, together with a teaspoon of cinnamon. On low heat, for 20 minutes.
Towards the end, add the juice of a lemon and put it back on the stove for another 6-7 minutes.
Two eggs, three tablespoons of full-fat cream (the kind you use for whipped cream), whisked together. Mix them with the pumpkin only after the latter has cooled down a bit.
Fill the tart with the pumpkin filling and place it in the oven, still at 180 degrees Celsius. 45 minutes should be enough.
If you have some walnuts, they would match just fine, add a few pieces into the cream, before baking. Before adding them, soak them in water with rum, they will bake without getting burned and they will have a pleasant flavor.
You can add whipped cream or not, as you like it. I made the whipped cream from cream with sugar and lemon and orange zest. It tasted fresh, refreshing.
You can make this tart with apples, pears, apricots, quinces or any fruit you like. Of course, there are small differences in preparing the filling, but we’ll discuss them another time.
Stay healthy.
Special thanks to
Oana Bodnariuc, Authorized Translator
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