This dessert with a difference takes that good old American favourite 'Pumpkin Pie' and gives it a very British flavour by incorporating the delightful sharpness of rhubarb. When paired with the cardamom cooked cream the duo of puds harmonise beautifully.
Ingredients
For the tart:
- 700g rhubarb washed and chopped
- 100g castor sugar (for rhubarb)
- 700g diced pumpkin flesh or butternut squash
- 600g Toppenrose softy cream cheese
- 100g butter
- 5 eggs
- 175g castor sugar (for pumpkin)
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- zest of 1 orange
- 600g sweet pastry
For the cooked cream:
- 320ml double cream
- 320ml milk
- 75g castor sugar
- 3 leaves of gelatine plus 1 for the rhubarb jelly
- 18 green cardamom
Method
- Starting with the cooked cream, cook off the rhubarb with the castor sugar in a pan until the flesh is soft, then drain off the liquid into a jug and add one leaf of gelatine and stir until dissolved. Mash the rhubarb flesh and set aside. Pour the jelly into 6-8 dariole moulds just 5mm in the bottom of each and put them in the freezer.
- Put three leaves of gelatine in the milk and leave to soften. Place the cardamoms in a saucepan and bruise with the end of a rolling pin to break open the pods. Pour in the double cream then add the sugar and bring to the boil and simmer gently for 1 minute. Mix the hot cream into the cold milk and stir until the gelatine has dissolved. Allow the mixture to cool then pass through a sieve and use this to top up the dariole moulds and put in the fridge to set.
- For the tart start by lining a fluted buttered flan tin with pastry and bake blind for 10 minutes in a preheated oven 180°c. Put the pumpkin in a frying pan along with the butter and cook until the flesh is soft, then remove from the heat and puree in a food processor. In a mixing bowl whip together the eggs, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange zest and cream cheese, and then fold in the pureed pumpkin.
- Spread out the rhubarb in the bottom of the pastry case, pour over the pumpkin mixture and top with a little freshly grated nutmeg. Place in a preheated oven at 170°c for 30 minutes or until the centre is set, then set aside and allow to cool before cutting.
- To serve turn out the cooked cream by dipping in hot water for 2 seconds, tease away from the edge to let air get down the side and turn onto a plate. Now place a slice of tart alongside and garnish with a sugar squiggle. To make these heat sugar in a pan without water and shake over the heat until turned to caramel, then using a dessert spoon make a wavy line on some silicon paper and when set lift off with a pallet knife and lean the squiggle against the slice of tart.