Pumpkin Pie with a Twist

December 6, 2012 Pumpkin Pie with a Twist

Forgive me for neglecting to photograph the most important process: the marbling.  This tart really was a stand out, though — such a fun and unique twist to the traditional pumpkin pie.

Marbled Pumpkin Gingersnap Tart – Deb Perelman, of Smitten Kitchen

Ingredients:

Crust
4 ounces (115 grams) gingersnap cookies (about 16 cookies), coarsely broken
3 ounces (85 grams) graham crackers (five and a half 2 1/2 x 4 7/8-inch graham cracker sheets)
4 Tablespoons (55 grams or ½ stick) salted butter, melted

Cheesecake Batter
4 ounces (115 grams) cream cheese, well softened
3 Tablespoons (40 grams) granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk

Pumpkin Batter
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 1/4 cups (10½ ounces or 300 grams, about 1/2-3/4 of a 15-ounce can) pumpkin purée
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (50 grams) brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
few fresh gratings of nutmeg
1 cup (235 ml) heavy cream

Directions:

Make crust
Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Remove any children sensitive to loud noises from the premises, and finely grind the gingersnaps and graham crackers in a food processor (yielding 1½ cups). Add the melted butter, and process until the cookie- crumb mixture is moistened. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9- inch- diameter tart pan with removable bottom. (I like to use the bottom and outer side of a measuring cup to help pack the crumbs into the base and neatly up the walls of my crumb crusts.) Place pan on rimmed baking sheet.

Make Cheesecake Batter
Mix together the ingredients in a small bowl until smooth.

Make Pumpkin Batter
Beat the egg and the egg white lightly in a large bowl. Whisk in the pumpkin, sugars, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Gradually whisk in the cream.

Assemble Tart
Pour the pumpkin batter into gingersnap-graham crust. Dollop the cheesecake batter over pumpkin batter, then marble the two together decoratively with a knife. Try not to pierce the bottom crust as you do. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, or until a knife or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

To Serve
Cool the tart completely on a rack, or in the fridge if you, like me, prefer it cold. Serve immediately, and refrigerate any leftovers. Theoretically, it keeps for several days, but the crumb crust will get a little soft on the bottom after day one.

Tags: cheesecake, gingersnap crust, marbled, pumpkin pie, smitten kitchen

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