Chocolate Pumpkin Tart

I have been trying to write this post since Thanksgiving, and for some reason I have the worst writer's block about it. This is a little sad since the baked good in question, the Chocolate Pumpkin Tart, is freaking delicious.

November 22, 2012
Name of Tart: Chocolate Pumpkin, Yo!
Occasion: Thanksgiving
Constituents: one 10in GF gingersnap crust, 60% chocolate undercoat, chocolate-pumpkin pie filling

Back in 2008 I was a subscriber to Martha Stewart, and in her Thanksgiving issue she did a feature on all the fun ways the ubiquitous pumpkin pie could be jazzed up. One such suggestion was a Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Pie, with a graham cracker base, dark chocolate undercoat, semi-sweet chocolate-pumpkin filling, and a milk chocolate drizzle. Immediately I decided that pie needed to be made.

I have made this pie every year since that, as it was a big hit amongst all who tasted it. In fact, the pie developed such a reputation that people would come over just for the pie, screw the company.

Right out the door I modified the recipe to be gluten free; that was pretty easy as it just meant getting a GF cookie for the crust. I also threw out the milk chocolate drizzle; a double chocolate pie has been more than sufficient for us.

This year, I decided to screw the whole deep dish pie thing and turn the pie into a tart. This is so much better. You get a much higher ratio of gingersnap crust to silky pie filling. With a little whipped cream, this pie has achieved perfection.

In fact, I love this tart so much and have modified the original enough that I would publish the recipe. However I was not exact with some of my measurements...so...let me just bullet point all the modifications I made, and then you can print them out along with Martha's official recipe and make a kick-ass chocolate pumpkin tart of your own.

• 2 packages Mi Del GF Gingersnap cookies, instead of graham crackers. You'll need about 1.5 packages, about 12oz or 340g cookies, finely ground.
  
• You'll only need about half the amount of butter (3 tbsp as opposed to 6), as GF cookies don't readily absorb liquid.
  
• Omit the brown sugar and cinnamon when making the crust. Your crust should be only cookie crumbs, melted butter, salt.
  
• Press crust into a 10in tart pan. Bake until firm, 8 to 10 min.
  
• Use closer to 8oz 60% chocolate for the undercoat and be sure to paint the chocolate up the sides of the crust too.
  
• Use 60% chocolate for the filling as well.
  
• Use light muscovado sugar instead of brown sugar.
  
• I whisked the chocolate into the pumpkin, instead of the other way around.
  
• Put your tart pan on a baking sheet and carefully pour in your pumpkin mixture. You will have more than you need; the extra batter can be baked in a separate ramekin or two.
  
• The hardest part of this recipe is getting the tart pan into the oven without spilling pumpkin filling all over the baking sheet.
  
• Bake time remained the same: 55 to 60 min.
  
• Skip the milk chocolate drizzle and serve with whipped cream.