The bright side of having a baby that refuses to come on time is that my sister-in-law, who happens to be a fabulous chef, has taken pity on my overdue self and offered to take on Thanksgiving dinner all alone!
I have offered to bring dessert and can’t think of a better option than John Bishop’s Roasted Pumpkin Tart. At Bishop’s restaurant in Kits, arguably one of the best in the city, dessert will run you about $14/person–not exactly in my everyday budget. But for about twice that price, I bought the Bishop’s cookbook, Seasonal Recipes Made With Local Foods, and plan on doing my best at recreating the magic at home. (Recipe after the jump)Before starting this recipe make sure to pick up a good quality sugar pumpkin, not a carving pumpkin! The pumpkin should be small and heavy for its size. Don’t worry if you have puree left over – there are many things you can use it for, such as adding it to oatmeal, bread, cakes, waffles and more. You can also freeze the puree for up to 3 months.
John Bishop’s Roasted Pumpkin Tart
1 whole small sugar pumpkin
2 eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp cardamom
¼ tsp salt
¾ cup whipping cream (plus additional as desired for topping)
1 parbaked 10-inch tart shell
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place whole pumpkin, skin on and stem removed, on the baking sheet. Bake for 1 ½ hours. Remove from the oven, carefully cut in half and allow to cool. Using a sharp knife, peel away and discard the skin. Scoop out the seeds and membrane and discard.
Place the flesh in a food processor and puree until smooth. Measure 1 ¾ cups pumpkin puree for the tart filling. Preheat oven to 350 F. In a large bowl, whish eggs with brown sugar. Stir in pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and salt. Add cream and mix to combine.
Pour the filling into the tart shell and bake for 55 minutes, or until set. A skewer inserted into the filling should come out clean. Allow to cool. Cut tart into wedges and serve with fresh whip cream.
Recipe from Fresh: Seasonal Recipes Made With Local Foods, John Bishop, Dennis Green & Dawne Gourley
For the real deal check out: Bishops, 2183 West 4th Avenue, 604-738-2025, Bishopsonline.com
Last modified: October 7, 2011
