Pumpkin pie for people who don't like pumpkin pie

[jmacnaughtan]

Originally posted here, this is a take on the classic. Sweet pastry, butternut crémeux and golden syrup spiced meringue. You can use any other squash, essentially any other fruit purée for the crémeux, and it freezes well, as does the pastry dough.

Makes one 18cm tart.

Sweet pastry

• Flour, 100g
• Butter, 50g
• Egg yolks, 30g
• Icing sugar, 17g
• Milk (lukewarm), 8g
• Salt, 2g

1. Sift flour onto a large piece of greaseproof paper.

2. Warm butter until very soft (almost liquid, but without breaking the emulsion).

3. Whip butter until white.

4. In a separate bowl, combine egg yolks and icing sugar. Whip until pale and creamy.

5. Incorporate milk and salt.

6. Pour the egg mixture into the whipped butter, and whisk to fully combine. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is homogenous.

7. Pour the sifted flour into the butter mixture.

8. Mix with a wooden spoon (or mixer paddle) until fully combined. Scrape the bottom of the bowl again.

9. Scrape onto cling film, wrap, press flat and refrigerate for at least one hour, preferably overnight.

10. Roll out to the thickness of a £1 coin (2mm).

11. Cut a circle around 2cm larger than your tart circle/tin in the pastry.

12. Line the tin, ensuring you've pushed the dough into the bottom edge all the way round (to avoid the sides collapsing in the oven). Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

13. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

14. Remove the dough from the fridge and trim the edges with a paring knife. Prick the base with a fork.

15. Bake for 12-18 minutes, until lightly golden. Leave to cool before unmolding.

Butternut crémeux

• Butternut purée, 250g
• Caster sugar, 30 + 30g
• Cornflour, 15g
• Egg yolks, 60g
• Milk, 20 g
• Gelatin, bloomed, 1.5g (dry weight)
• Butter, 100g

1. Heat the purée with 30g of sugar in a fairly large saucepan.
2. Mix the remaining sugar with the cornstarch, and add the cold milk. Mix well.
3. Incorporate the egg yolks.
4. Temper the purée into the egg mixture, pour back into the pan and bring to the boil. Don't stop stirring or it will catch and burn. Keep at the boil for around thirty seconds.
5. Take it off the heat, let it cool for a minute or two, and while still warm incorporate the gelatin.
6. Cool to around 40-50°C (it shouldn't burn your finger, but it should feel warm).
7. Using a stick blender/food processor, incorporate the cold butter, cut into cubes.
8. Leave to cool completely in the fridge, preferably overnight.
9. Before using, whip to aerate it. It will turn pale and fairly fluffy.
10. Fill the tart shell, and level the top. Refrigerate while you make the meringue.

Spiced meringue

• Sugar, 100g
• Golden syrup, 100g
• Water, 70g
• Egg whites, 100g
• Tonka bean, cinnamon, nutmeg

1. Combine sugar, syrup and water in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to the boil and cook to 118-121°C. (Alternatively, if you don't have a thermometer, make it as a Swiss meringue. Omit the water, combine sugar, syrup and egg whites and heat over a water bath until it's just too hot for your finger, then whip until cool)
3. When the sugar is at around 114°C, start whipping the egg whites.
4. Once the sugar has reached 118-121°C, pour gently into the whipping whites. Whip until cool.
5. Grate some spice into the meringue, and mix more.
6. Pipe or spread onto the tart.
7. Grate on a little more spice.
8. Blast under the grill or with a blowtorch. Cover with a cloche or a bowl to capture the aroma.
9. Serve at room temperature.