pumpkin tarte tatin

[sugarseattle]

we just signed up for the handy dandy weekly produce delivery truck and last week we got a super beautiful sugar pie pumpkin, and with Thanksgiving on the horizon, I'm super excited to make something with it. Sure I could make pumpkin pie, or even pumpkin soup, but how about a pumpkin tarte tatin. I know I might not be the first one to do it, but it's my first time.

So here's my plan...with a really good peeler, I'm going to peel and segment some pumpkin wedges, about the same size as apples would be, and follow the same procedure, perhaps adding a little cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and clove to my sugar. Then plop that sucker in the oven with a puff pastry top.

The one thing I'm thinking is ratio of sugar...I know apples so well, but don't know how much additional sugar for pumpkin? Also, I'm thinking a little custard poured over the carmelized pumpkin wedges might not be a bad idea?

Thoughts?

[prasantrin]

Not a tatin, but the mother of a student recently made a pumpkin pie for my department. It was slices of roasted kabocha with some walnuts, chocolate chips and maybe dried blueberries? between puff pastry sheets (and baked, of course).

It was weird. Not horrible, but weird, and no one wanted seconds. Not even the Japanese teachers who one would think would have liked it more than us furriners.

Pumpkin slices or chunks in pies tend to get dry. Caramelizing them will help keep the surface moist, but not necessarily the innards. I'd be very careful with baking time, so you don't dry the pumpkin out too much.

[Abra]

I'd poach the pumpkin segments in a spiced sugar syrup until nearly tender, to avoid the dryness Rona mentions and be sure the pumpkin is cooked all the way through.

[Sethro]

I mean if you put a crust on top then why even call it tatin?

My favorite way to carmelize or confit pumpkin is to drop it directly into chunks of amber caramel, rolling right along at 340 degrees. It will be gooey and translucent in a matter of minutes. Then you can deglaze the caramel with a bit of spiced cider or beer or whatever you like.

[plattetude]

I mean if you put a crust on top then why even call it tatin?

←

I expect because, like with a standard tarte tatin, the crust on top during baking becomes the crust on the bottom when serving.