Brendan LOVES pumpkin pie (but really just the pumpkin pie filling). I think he gets this from his grandpa who would always enjoy a large piece immediately following Thanksgiving dinner - no waiting needed....and the more whip on top, the better! His grandma would make two pies every year, and they were both probably gone by the time she got to sit down and enjoy some herself. Because of all of this, I felt a bit of pressure when I told him that I don't usually make pumpkin pie...I make a pumpkin tart.
I prefer the tart because it has a better crust to filling ratio. Plus it is so simple to make, and you don't have to worry about crust burning or the top cracking. The key to success with this is making sure to butter every little nook and cranny of the tart pan - it is the first and most important step of the process! From there, the hardest part is letting it set up for a few hours before eating it!
Since this is the first post with a grain free specific ingredient, I will tell you that not all almond flours are made the same. I use and trust two brands. Bob's Red Mill and Honeyville Almond Flour. If you have a Costco membership, I would suggest looking for the Honeyville flour there - it is a large bag and a great deal. I can usually find Bob's at my local grocery store, but it is a much smaller bag. I keep mine in the cupboard in an air tight container and I've never had an issue of it going bad.
Pumpkin Tart with Maple Almond Crust
Level of Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
Ingredients:
- For the crust:
- 1 ½ cups blanched almond flour
- ¼ tsp. Cinnamon
- 4 Tbs. Melted butter
- 2 Tbs. Pure maple syrup
- For the filling:
- 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 large eggs
DIRECTIONS:
For the Crust
- Butter the inside of a 9 inch tart pan with removable bottom.
- Whisk together all of the crust ingredients in a medium bowl.
- Press the mixture into the tart pan in an even layer, making sure to press up into the edges of the pan.
- Preheat oven to 375 F, and freeze shell while the oven is warming.
- Bake shell for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.
- Let the shell cool while you prepare the filling.
For the Filling
- Preheat oven to 325 F degrees.
- Whisk together all of the filling ingredients in a large bowl.
- Place the tart pan onto a baking sheet, and pour filling into prepared crust. Smooth out the filling with a spatula.
- Bake - rotating halfway through, until filling is just set and slightly puffed but still a bit wobbly, about 60 minutes.
- Transfer to a cooling rack, and let cool completely.
- Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 6 hours.
- Serve chilled, topped with whipped cream if you please
Enjoy!