Pumpkin Tart

You won't find any canned pumpkin in this recipe! No sirree, this is real pumpkin, roasted whole and scooped out! A little more work, but a lot more taste. Nothing but the best for my dinner party guests! (By the way, the above photo is for you, Mara! No pumpkin shortage in my local grocery store!)

For the pie:
1 pie pumpkin (3 cups, cooked)
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1 1/2 cans (12 oz.) of fat free evaporated milk

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 Tbsp plus 2 tsp shortening
1/3 cup butter
1/4 cup cold water

Hack the pumpkin into 8ths, removing the seeds and guts. (Reserve the seeds for toasting if you know what's good for you.)

Spray a baking pan and the pumpkin with Pam and roast at 425° for about 45 minutes, until soft. Let cool enough to handle, then remove the flesh from the skin.

Using a pastry cutter, mix the crust's flour, sugar, and salt with the shortening and salt until it resembles peas. Add the cold water until a dough forms. Turn out onto a floured surface and roll into a large circle. Transfer to a 10" tart pan, pressing dough into the ridges and removing any excess from the edges.

In a large bowl combine the pumpkin and all of the remainging pie ingredients and blend until smooth. The mixture will be runny, like a loose pancake batter.

Pour into the tart crust. Any additional filling can be baked in a well-greased dish alongside. Bake at 425° for the first 15 minutes. Then lower the temperature to 350° and continue baking for an additional 45-60 minutes. A knife entered into the center of the pie will come out clean.

Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Then refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Serve with homemade cinnamon ice cream and pumpkin seed brittle (recipes in next 2 posts).