Eggless Chocolate Pumpkin Tart

I am not a big fan of pies, especially pumpkin. But for the last couple of weeks, there were pies all over the place....blogs, TV, magazines and I was tempted to make one, but definitely not the traditional one. So I settled on making these tarts for thanksgiving. There had to be chocolate of course! The recipe is adapted from the Chocolate Walnut Bars I posted earlier...just omitted the eggs and added some pumpkin puree.

I had some difficulty rolling the dough. It wouldn't roll out smooth, I'm guessing its the walnut pieces and then there was not enough flour on the table, so most of the dough had stuck. I could cut out two circles, the rest I just took pieces and put them on the tart pan and patched them together. Though it didn't look perfect, it worked out fine and the tart was firm and didn't crack after baking. The filling is a breeze to prepare. I got six mini tarts or you can make one 9" tart. I have to say I wouldn't know it had pumpkin unless someone told me. More like a chocolate tart and that worked very well for me :)

Eggless Chocolate Pumpkin Tart

Ingredients:

Crust:

55 gms walnuts

1 cup flour (I used 50-50 wheat and all purpose flour)

1/3 cup sugar 

1/4 tsp baking powder

4 tbs cold butter, cut into small pieces

pinch of  salt

few tbs of cold water 

Filling:

2 tbs butter, melted

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

1/4 tsp salt

2 1/2 tbs cornflour mixed with 5 tbs water

Method:

Crust:

Preheat the oven to 350F/ 180C. 

Grind the walnuts with some sugar to a coarse powder.

Combine the powdered walnuts, remaining sugar and flour in a bowl.

Add the cold butter and rub it in using your finger tips or pulse in a food processor till the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Add water few drops at a time and mix with your fingers until it comes together like a dough. Do not knead the mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for atleast 30 mins.

Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4" thickness and line your tart moulds.

Bake for about 15 - 20 mins or till set and golden. Keep aside to cool.

Filling:

Sieve the cocoa to remove lumps. Mix all the ingredients together till smooth. Divide between the cooled crusts and bake for about 30 mins or till set. Cool to room temperature and then refrigerate for a few hours. Remove from tart pans carefully and serve.


Sending this to The Holiday Recipe Exchange hosted by My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats sponsored by Breville.

Bread Koftas in a Pumpkin Gravy for Taste and Create

I saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the fourth time yesterday and I'm certain I'll be watching it many more times. I had a wand in one of my dreams last night, if only I could remember what it was all about: :). I'm a big Potter fan and am so sad the series is over. I really wish there would be more, the next generation has started going to school, surely they'll have their own adventures. I shall keep hoping....

It's Sunday morning, there is so much to do, but my mind is still at Hogwarts and I'm feeling too lazy to start anything yet. I was just reading about some blogging events and remembered that my post for Taste and Create is still pending. At least I better post this before it's too late.

Taste and Create is a monthly event where your paired up with another blogger and cook from each others blogs. I'm participating after a long time and for this month I've been paired with Anusha Praveen of Tomato Blues. I have never made koftas before, so I decided to try her recipe. I added some paneer in the koftas and shallow fried them instead of steaming them in the microvawe. Was Delicious!!

Bread Koftas in a Pumpkin Gravy

Ingredients:
For the gravy:
1 big onion
1 big tomato
1 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp haldi
1 tsp cumn powder
1 tsp coriander powder
1/3 tsp garam masala
2 tbs yogurt
150 gms pumpkin, cubed
1/2 cup green peas

For the koftas:
3 slices brown bread
1 tbs yogurt
1/4 cup paneer, crumbled
1 green chili, finely chopped
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1 tbs coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 tbs sauteed onion, reserved form the curry
salt to taste

Method:
For the curry:
Take the pumpkin in a microwave safe dish, add a few tbs of water and microwave on high for about 4-5 mins till cooked. Puree and keep aside.
Heat 1 tbs oil and saute the onions till golden. Reserve 2tbs for the koftas. To the remaining onions, add all the spice powders and fry for a minute. Add the tomato and cook till mushy and the oil separates. Add the pumpkin and the yogurt, mix well. Adjust the consistency of the curry and check the seasonings. Add he green peas, cover and cook on low heat for about 5 mins. In this time make the koftas as given below. Add the koftas, mix gently and simmer for another minute. serve hot garnished with coriander leaves.

For the koftas:
Mix the yogurt with some water to soak the bread. Dip the bread in the mixture and squeeze well. [Next time I'll just skip this step and use bread crumbs and add a little yogurt to bind the koftas]. Mix all the ingredients for the koftas and shape into small balls. Shallow fry till golden brown.

Sending this to Taste and Create and to Pari's Only Event, guest hosted by Kamalika.