Mini Pumpkin Tarts With Gingered Chocolate Cream

Total Time: 3 hrs 50 mins Preparation Time: 3 hrs 30 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 12 ounces whipping cream
• 2 ounces chocolate, grated
• 1 slice fresh ginger
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons shortening
• 1 1/2 tablespoons butter, cold and cut into small pieces
• 3 tablespoons ice water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cooked pumpkin
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• candied ginger, to garnish

Recipe

• 1 heat the whipping cream until scalding (do not boil), then add grated chocolate and stir until the chocolate is melted.
• 2 add slice of ginger and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
• 3 preheat over to 350 degrees.
• 4 make the crust: put flour, brown sugar& pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until nuts are ground into a powder.
• 5 add shortening and butter, pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal.
• 6 add the ice water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture begins to pull away from the sides of the food processor and form a ball.
• 7 if you have a tart shaper, roll the dough into balls the size of a large marble, place one in each mini-muffin cup, and press with tart shaper to form crust.
• 8 if you don't have a tart shaper, roll the dough out to about 1/4" thick and cut with a circular cookie cutter, then press the circles of dough into the tart pan.
• 9 mix the egg, pumpkin, brown sugar, evaporated milk, ginger& salt.
• 10 stir until combined.
• 11 fill the tart crusts with the pumpkin mixture.
• 12 bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until pumpkin mixture is firm and crusts are a golden brown.
• 13 let cool in the pan for 15-20 minutes, then remove tarts and place them on a wire rack to finish cooling.
• 14 remove the slice of ginger from the whipped cream, whip cream until soft peaks form.
• 15 place a dollop of cream on each tart, and top with a tiny bit of minced candied ginger.