Pumpkin Meringue Tart
There’s no secret pumpkin spice in this tart- just the good old flavors of pumpkin, ginger, cinnamon and a hint of butterscotch thanks to a special caramelization treatment. The shallow depth of a tart makes for a quicker gratification- these bake in half the time of a traditional pie (with a good chance they’ll get eaten in half the time).
We owe this crust recipe to pastry maven Alice Medrich- it’s ridiculously simple, quite foolproof and doesn’t require a resting period before pressing into the pan. You can make this in tart pans between 8″and 10″ and may have extra dough or filling depending their size and depth.
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Ingredients
Alice Medrich’s Melted Tart Crust
- 5 ounces Butter 140g , melted and cooled
- 1/4 cup Sugar 50g
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 -1/4 cups Flour 162g
Pumpkin Tart Custard Filling
- 1 cup Pumpkin canned or roasted and pureed
- 1/3 cup Brown sugar
- 1/2 cup Sugar 100g
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 2 Eggs
- 2/3 cup Heavy cream 80g
Meringue
- 3 Egg whites
- 2/3 cup Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- Pinch freshly grated ginger OR black pepper these are optional
Instructions
Alice Medrich’s Melted Tart Crust
- Mix together the sugar, salt and flour in a medium bowl. Pour the melted butter over the dry ingredients and using a fork, mix until just combined.
- Press into an 8″-10″ tart pan and freeze for 15-20 minutes while you preheat your oven to 350F. Prick the bottom of the tin with a fork and bake until the crust is golden brown.
Pumpkin Tart Custard Filling
- Place the pumpkin, sugar and brown sugar in a medium sized pot. Stir with a spatula or whisk continuously until the sugar dissolves (your mixture will bubble and begin to look a tad bit darker) over medium heat. Pour this mixture into a bowl.
- Whisk in the eggs, salt and cream and pour into the pre-baked tart shell up to the top. Bake at 325F until the custard is just set. This should take about 20 minutes, depending on the depth of the tart. Set aside to cool slightly before removing the tart from the ring while you make your meringue.
Meringue
- Bring a pot filled 1/3 of the way with water to a gentle simmer. Lae the egg whites, sugar and salt in a bowl that you would use for a stand mixer or a medium sized bowl if using a hand held mixer. Whisk the mixture gently over the double boiler until you no longer feel the grit of the sugar in the egg whites.
- Remove the bowl from the heat and beat in the stand mixer with the whisk attachment until stiff (about 3 minutes on highest speed), or, using a hand held mixer, beat until the meringue is nice and stiff. Add in the optional flavors.
- Spoon the meringue (you may have more than what you want/need) over the bake pumpkin tart and create valleys and peaks by swirling the meringue in deep swoops with the back of a spoon.
- To brown the meringue, use a torch or place the tart under the broiler just until beginning to brown. Serve warm!
