Pumpkin Tart with Mascarpone and Ginger
A savory pumpkin tart of the kind made by eye at home, with two decisions that set it apart from the usual. The first: it uses two squashes in equal parts, butternut and kabocha. The butternut is sweet and moist; the kabocha, dry and starchy, and together they provide a full-bodied filling that doesn't become watery (in zapallo y calabaza is the difference between varieties). The second: the squashes are baked instead of boiled, so they lose water and concentrate the flavor. The filling is completed with mascarpone, which gives it a finer creaminess than ricotta, reggianito, pieces of creamy cheese (similar to Muenster or Havarti) that melt into pockets, and fresh grated ginger, which cuts through the richness of the cheeses. It goes between two puff pastry tart shells, with a crust of gratinated reggianito on top.
🔎 What is winter squash? — where it comes from, what goes in it and how it differs.
Ingredients
- 1 medium butternut squash (about 1.2 kg)
- 1/2 kabocha squash (about 1 kg)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 250 g mascarpone cheese
- 110 g grated reggianito cheese (80 g for the filling and 30 g for the crust)
- 150 g soft melting cheese (Argentine queso cremoso, or mozzarella), in 2 cm cubes
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- 4 eggs (3 for the filling and 1 for brushing)
- 2 round sheets of puff pastry
- Salt and pepper to taste
Method
- 1
Preheat the oven to 200 °C. Cut both squashes in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a spoon. If the kabocha is too hard to cut raw, 3 or 4 minutes in the microwave whole will soften the skin and the knife will enter without a fight. Don't throw away the seeds: washed and baked they are semillas de calabaza tostadas.
- 2
Arrange the halves on a baking sheet with the cut side facing up, brush them with the oil and bake for 40-45 minutes, until a knife enters without resistance. With the side facing up, the water evaporates through the open surface: the puree comes out drier and the filling doesn't get moist.
- 3
If you prefer not to cut them raw, they can be baked whole, turning them halfway through cooking and covered with aluminum foil so the skin doesn't burn. They take between 40-60 minutes depending on the size, and since the steam stays inside, the puree comes out moister: drain it for a few minutes in a colander before using it.
- 4
Remove the pulp with a spoon and mash it with a potato masher or a fork. You should have about 800 g of puree, half of each squash. Let it cool slightly.
- 5
Mix the puree with the mascarpone, 80 g of the reggianito, the ginger, and 3 eggs, and season with salt and pepper. It should be a thick puree that holds its shape on the spoon. Don't overdo it with the eggs: one too many makes it liquid, and a liquid filling puffs up in the oven and cracks when cooling. The ginger must be fresh and finely grated; powdered ginger has a different taste and does not cut the richness of the cheeses in the same way.
- 6
Line a 28 cm mold (pan) with one of the shells, letting it hang over the edge. Pour in the filling and smooth it out.
- 7
Distribute the cheese cubes over the filling, sinking them slightly. When baked, they melt and remain like pockets of cheese inside the tart.
- 8
Cover with the second shell, join the edges of both and crimp them (or press them with a fork). Brush the surface with the remaining beaten egg, sprinkle the remaining 30 g of reggianito and make 2 or 3 small cuts in the center so the steam can escape.
- 9
Bake at 200 °C between 35-45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the cheese crust is crispy. If the mold has a thin bottom, place it in the lower part of the oven so the bottom shell cooks well.
- 10
Let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting: the filling finishes setting and the portions come out clean. It is eaten warm or at room temperature, and the next day, cold, it is still just as good.