Rustic Pumpkin Nut Tarte

A free-form pumpkin galette with a flaky butter crust, a maple-spiced pumpkin filling and a crown of maple-glazed pecans. Cozy flavors, simple steps, a beautiful rustic result.

Ingredients

• For the pastry
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 8 Tbsp unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
• 3 to 5 Tbsp ice water
• 1 egg, beaten, for brushing
• Coarse sugar, optional
• For the pumpkin filling
• 1 cup pure pumpkin purée
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 large egg
• 2 Tbsp heavy cream or half-and-half
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• Pinch of cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt
• For the nut topping
• 3/4 cup pecans or walnuts, roughly chopped
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp melted butter
• Pinch of flaky salt

Instructions

1. Mix the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut in the cold butter until you have a crumbly mixture with some pea-sized pieces of butter remaining. Add ice water a tablespoon at a time, just until the dough holds together.
2. Form into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate for about 30 to 60 minutes.
3. Whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, maple syrup, egg, cream, vanilla, spices, and salt until smooth.
4. Toss the pecans or walnuts with maple syrup, melted butter, and a tiny pinch of salt.
5. Heat the oven to 400°F (205°C). On parchment, roll the pastry into a roughly 12-inch circle. Rustic edges are part of the charm.
6. Spoon the pumpkin filling into the center, leaving about a 2-inch pastry border. Fold the exposed pastry inward, pleating it loosely around the pumpkin.
7. Scatter the maple-coated nuts over the pumpkin. Brush the pastry with beaten egg and, if you'd like, sprinkle with coarse sugar.
8. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until the pastry is deeply golden and the pumpkin filling is set around the edges with just a slight softness in the center.
9. Let it rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing. Finish with a little flaky salt if you enjoy that sweet-salty contrast.

Make it extra special with maple whipped cream: whip 1 cup cold heavy cream with 1 to 2 tablespoons maple syrup and a splash of vanilla.

For an even more rustic flavor, replace 1/4 cup of the flour with finely ground toasted pecans in the pastry. That gives the crust a wonderful nuttiness and makes the whole tarte especially autumnal.