Spiced Pumpkin Tart

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Place large baking sheet on center oven rack. You will bake the tart on the baking sheet, which will make it easy to transfer the tart pan to/from the oven AND catch any possible butter leakage from the tart pan.

2. If you need a visual for the crust steps, there are helpful step-by-step photos below the recipe. Using a food processor, pulse the pecans, flour, salt, and sugar together until it reaches the consistency of coarse meal. Add the cubes of cold butter and pulse until the mixture forms pea-sized crumbs. Drizzle ice water on top and pulse 8-10 times to bring dough together.  Dough will be crumbly, but there should be no more dry flour. Do your best to press dough tightly and evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch tart pan. Carefully line the inside of the crust with two pieces of parchment paper. Pour in the pie weights. Make sure the weights are evenly distributed around the pan.

3. Place on baking sheet and bake (with weights) for 15 minutes. Remove tart from the oven and carefully lift the parchment paper (with the weights) out of the tart. Prick holes all around the bottom crust with a fork. Return the tart crust to the oven (on the baking sheet) and bake for 10-12 minutes to help dry out and set the bottom. Remove from the oven and set aside until step 6. You can par-bake the crust up to 3 days ahead of time. Cover and store in the refrigerator (without weights) until ready to use.

4. Reduce oven to 350°F (177°C).

5. Whisk all of the filling ingredients together until combined and smooth. Feel free to use a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment to combine.

6. Pour filling into warm crust. Bake tart (on baking sheet) until the center of the tart is nearly set—give the pan a light tap with your oven mitt to check—about 45-48 minutes. A small part of the center will be wobbly—that’s ok.

7. Remove tart from the oven, place on a wire rack, and cool completely for at least 4-5 hours. Serve pie with optional toppings if desired. I used Wilton 1M piping tip for the whipped cream in the pictured pie.

8. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.