Pumpkin-Chocolate Tart

Several weeks ago a lady I clean for gave me a copy of Martha's Pumpkin-Chocolate Tart.You know who I am talking about. There is only one Martha, just like there is only one Oprah. Not sure what we were talking about at the time that caused Kate to go in search of the recipe and send me home with a copy of it. The photo from the magazine (which was November of 2003!) shows an amazing looking tart with a chocolate crust and chocolate drizzled over the top. I have had the recipe out on the island in my kitchen since that day. I would pick it up, look at the pictures, think to my self that I really need to make this. Then, put the recipe back down. Kept putting off baking it as I had plenty of other things on my plate keeping me busy.

Until today. :)

Today after I stripped and remade my bed, did two loads of laundry, decorated our Christmas tree, wrapped several gifts, and emptied the dishwasher, feed the hubby lunch, filled the bird feeders and vacuumed the living-room (Christmas tree needles!)  I decided to bake the tart. Thank goodness for the weekends and free time, huh?

I deviated from the recipe in that I used some sweet tart dough I had in the freezer. It was from a Chocolate Pecan Tart I baked last week. That recipe is from "Chocolate Epiphany", by Francois Payard. That tart was a big hit with my hubby and his brother. In fact, I am making another one for my brother-in-law for Christmas. But, I digress. (I do that a lot!) I am supposed to be talking about Martha's Pumpkin-Chocolate Tart.

This was a really simple tart to throw together. Even easier because of the already made dough. I followed the recipe exactly for everything else. Once I baked the crust for the tart I sprinkled chopped dark chocolate over the bottom and when it was melted I spread it around to the edges.

The recipe for the filling calls for creme fraiche. I didn't have any on hand, but do own a copy of "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", and, just as I knew there would be, I found a recipe for making your own creme fraiche. Pretty simple. Mix a cup of whipping cream with a teaspoon of buttermilk. Heat to lukewarm, pour into a loosely capped jar and several hours later you have creme fraiche. Mine didn't get really thick, and I wonder if it was because the buttermilk I used was reconstituted buttermilk, made from powder. Still, it did get a little thicker than it started out being so I used it.

The tart took about 40 minutes to bake, just like the recipe said. I had a bit too much filling for the tart so I poured the extra into two ramekins and baked them along with the tart.(those turned out great, like pumpkin pudding or custard)  I made the tart in a 10" springform pan. I do not own a large tart pan. I have 6 small ones (that's what I used to make my Chocolate Pecan tart) but didn't feel like messing around with 6 tarts, so I just used the springform pan.

Turned out perfect. And, it's delicious! I am sure it is probably that much better in a chocolate crust, but I liked it just the way I  made it. Your first bite is all about the pumpkin filling, smooth, creamy, not too spicy. Then, you realize you are tasting a hint of dark chocolate. It's a wonderful undertone to the pumpkin flavor. And, finishing it off, you have the crust of the tart itself, a little crunchy, buttery, and tender.

When I first mentioned making this tart my hubby's attitude was  "eh".  He is not a pumpkin fan. He will eat pumpkin bread every once in a while. He turns his nose up to  pumpkin pie. This tart? He ate every bite and said, "That was really good." Surprised, like he thought it wouldn't be. Silly man!

Pumpkin-Chocolate Tart
Makes 1 10" tart

1 can (15 ounce) pumpkin puree
3/4 cup finrmly packed light-brown sugar
8 ounces creme fraiche
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (I left this out as I am not a big clove fan)
     Chocolate Crust (recipe follows)
2 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, brown sugar, creme fraiche, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and cloves until smooth. Pass mixture through a fine sieve set over a clean bowl; discard solids. Pour filling into prepared crust.
2. Bake until filling is set, about 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 30 minutes.
3. Set a heatproof bowl, or the top of a double boiler, over a pan of barely simmering water. Melt chocolate in bowl, stirring occasionally,  remove from heat. Dip a spoon in melted chocolate, then drizzle chocolate over tart, forming decorative stripes. Refrigerate until well set, at least 1 hour and up to 1 day.

Chocolate Crust
Makes 1 10" tart shell

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg
4 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachemnt, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Add butter; mix on low speed until butter is the size of small peas, about 5 minutes. Add egg; mix until ingredients come together to form a dough.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to just thicker than 1/8 inch. Brush off excess flour transfer dough to a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Press dough into bottom and up sides of pan;  trim excess flush with edge. Lightly prick bottom of dough all over with a fork. Chill until firm, about 30 minutes.
3. Bake shell until firm, about 15 minutes. Immediately sprinkle chocolate over bottom of shell; smooth with a spatula.

Tuesdays with Dorie - All in one Holiday Bundt Cake

This weeks recipe is actually supposed to be Sugar-topped Molasses Spice cookies, which Pamela of Cookies with Boys picked. Pamela did bake that recipe this week and has posted it. Be sure to check it out on her blog. (I baked the cookies last week and they are delicious!) But, since Laurie said we could bake November's recipes in any order we liked, I made the All in one Holiday Bundt cake, which is next weeks recipe and was chosen by Britin of The Nitty Britty. Be sure to drop by Britin's blog next week to catch the recipe.

I loved this cake! And, in my case, what's not to love...pumpkin, apples, cranberries, pecans...so many of my favorite, yummy goodies all rolled up in one delicious cake. I considered making changes, using walnuts in place of pecans. I also considered omitting the cranberries as my hubby is not a big fan of them (too tart for his tastes), but in the end I stayed true to the recipe. And, I am glad I did.

This was another easy recipe to pull together. I love that about Dorie's recipes. None have been really difficult to make, or at least as long as I have been with the group that holds true. In no time at all I had this cake mixed up and in the oven.

The aroma as it baked was divine. Holiday aromas to be sure. Smelling it as it baked made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Well, not really, but it did smell great. I could hardly wait for it to finish baking and become cool enough to cut.

I made the maple syrup glaze for the top of it. I also saved a few chopped pecans to sprinkle on top after pouring the glaze over the cake. It was almost too pretty to cut...almost! :)

Delicious!! While my hubby commented on the cranberries ("Boy, these are tart!"), the only other things out of his mouth were mmmmm noises. I didn't waste anytime talking. I just ate.

Please drop by TWD to see what all of the other bakers baked this week.

Sweet Melissa Sunday - Sweet Almond Bread Pudding with Raspberry Sauce

This week's recipe, Sweet Almond Bread Pudding with Raspberry Sauce was chosen by Candace of Candy Girl. This was one that I was very happy to try.

I love bread pudding. I have never passed up a chance to order it when I see it on a  menu, or try it at a party. However, I have never made it myself. My hubby doesn't care for it (he doesn't think bread and dessert belong in the same sentence) and I could never justify making it just for myself. Until now. :)

Though the recipe sounded fabulous just like it was, I made some changes. First of all, earlier this week I baked some Pumpkin Pie Brioche. The recipe is posted on a friend's blog. When I made the brioche I didn't realize I needed brioche for this recipe. When I read this recipe and saw brioche listed in the ingredients, I decided to make my bread pudding with that Pumpkin Pie Brioche.

Using Pumpkin Pie brioche steered me to another change. Instead of using almonds, I decided pecans would be better with the flavor of the brioche. I also decided to cut the recipe in half. Figured I didn't need to eat the full recipe all by myself. :) My hubby may decide to try it, but odds are he won't care for it and I will have to eat it all. Oh the sacrifices we bakers must make.

I love how simple this was to put together. I may be in trouble now. I always thought bread pudding was difficult to make, but this was pretty easy. I made one more small change...I added some granulated brown sugar to the top rather than use white sugar. I thought the brown sugar and pecans would work better with the Pumpkin Pie brioche.

It smelled wonderful while baking. The pecans toasted up beautifully and the brown sugar added a nice color to the bread cubes on top.

I did not have any raspberries in the house, but I did have some seedless raspberry jam and I melted a little of that and drizzled it over the finished pudding.

The verdict? Fabulous! I loved the flavor of the pumpkin and the raspberry. The crunch of the pecans and bread cubes on top contrasted with the creamy, almost pudding like consistancy of the bread pudding. This is definitely what comes to mind when you think "comfort food".  I am hoping the hubby hates this so I can have all of it for myself!

Please go to SMS to see what the other members thought. I will be making this recipe again and will try it the way it is in the book next time. Thanks Candace! Loved this one!

Healthy Bread in 5 minutes a Day

My good friend Susan, of She's Becoming DoughMessTic, just received a copy of "Healthy Bread in 5 minutes a day". She is a friend of the co-author and was lucky enough to receive a copy to review. According to Susan she is a bread killer, but she was able to make some Pumpkin Pie Brioche, and from that recipe she made some amazing looking and sounding Pumpkin & Chocolate Toffee Cinnamon Buns with Caramel Cream Cheese Icing. While I think that everything that girl touches turns to gold, or at least something truly amazing to not only look at but to eat, these look to die for!  I have to get my hands on a copy of this book! If you would like a chance at winning a copy, head over to Susan's blog and leave her a comment telling her you want to win. It's that easy. And, who knows, you might just win! (Unless I am lucky enough to win!  :D)