Pumpkin, spices, and dark chocolate, a combination I really like and that I used in this delicious two-tone dessert. The pumpkin and chocolate tart is a scenic and elegant shortcrust pastry shell with cream, filled with two rich and delicious creams, to prepare as a gift, to serve at a dessert buffet or at the end of a meal for all occasions, especially the important ones. Success is guaranteed and even if the process is a bit long, it’s not difficult at all. I recommend preparing it a day in advance because this magnificent tart needs to rest to be fully appreciated.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 3 Hours
- Portions: 12 servings
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter, Fall, Winter, and Spring
Ingredients
- 2.2 lbs Raw pumpkin flesh
- 7 oz Fresh liquid cream
- 2/3 cup Sugar
- 3.5 oz Dark chocolate
- 1.8 oz Raisins
- 1 cup Milk
- 1/3 cup All-purpose flour
- 2 Egg yolks
- Cream shortcrust pastry
- to taste Ground cinnamon
- to taste Orange zest
- to taste Fine salt
- to taste Strega liqueur
Preparation
After preparing the cream shortcrust pastry as described here, put it in the fridge, well wrapped in plastic wrap, for at least one hour.
Soak the raisins in 2 tablespoons of liqueur.
In the meantime, cut the pumpkin into thick slices, remove the skin, seeds, and filaments, and cook it in the oven at 356°F (180°C) for about 1 hour, placed on a baking sheet with parchment paper, or in a pressure cooker, following your pot’s instructions.
When the pumpkin is wilted, turn off the heat, take it out of the oven, and let it cool for about 10 minutes. The pumpkin will have reduced to about 14-16 ounces. If the pumpkin is reduced to less than 10.5 ounces, we will add only 3.5 oz of cream to the mixture.
In a food processor, combine the lukewarm and chopped pumpkin, 5 oz of cold liquid cream from the fridge, 1.4 oz of sugar, a pinch of fine salt, grated orange zest, and a teaspoon of citrus or Strega liqueur. Blend until smooth. The sweet pumpkin cream is ready.
Now we will prepare the chocolate cream. In a large saucepan, sift the all-purpose flour, add the remaining 3.2 oz of sugar, a pinch of fine salt, a pinch of cinnamon, and some more grated orange zest. Combine the milk and the remaining 1.8 oz of liquid cream and gradually pour them over the dry ingredients, stirring with a steel whisk to avoid lumps.
Place the cream on the smallest burner over low heat and cook it until it starts to thicken. Once thickened, turn off the heat, add the coarsely chopped dark chocolate, and stir until you have a smooth and firm cream, which you will let cool for about 1 hour.
When the chocolate cream is almost cold, remove the cream shortcrust pastry from the fridge, roll it out with a rolling pin, and lay it in a 11-inch (28 cm) tart pan.
Preheat the oven to 356°F (180°C). Even out the edges of the shortcrust pastry, spread the well-drained raisins from the liqueur on the bottom, add the chocolate cream and level it; then, also add the pumpkin cream, level it with the back of a spoon, and bake on the middle rack for about 60 minutes if using an oven with bottom-only heating; otherwise, the cooking time is reduced to about 45 minutes in an oven with top and bottom heating. The dessert is ready when the top edge of the tart is well browned. Turn off the oven and remove the tart without touching the cream (which will still be very soft) or the shortcrust pastry. Let it cool completely before decorating with whipped cream tufts or as your imagination suggests.
