KABOCHA TART with SALTED ALMOND CRUMBLE and ESPRESSO SYRUP

SERVES 6 TO 8

A bold twist on classic pumpkin pie, this dessert explodes with flavor—especially in the salted almond crust and espresso syrup drizzle. For the filling, I pureed roasted kabocha squash and baked the puree naked like a flan. That way, you can serve only as much crust as you want, treating it more like a nutty crumble to complement the filling. Let’s call it deconstructed pumpkin pie. If you can’t find kabocha squash, use buttercup or butternut. Make this dessert more wicked with some Plant-Based Whipped Cream (here) and a scoop of Amaretto Gelato (here).

SQUASH FILLING

2½ pounds kabocha squash

Coconut oil, for the pan

1 cup full-fat coconut milk

1/3 cup maple syrup

½ cup coconut sugar

6 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon finely grated or minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon sea salt

ALMOND CRUMBLE

1 cup almonds

¼ cup raw turbinado sugar

1 tablespoon flake salt, such as Maldon

Pinch chipotle chile powder, optional

Espresso Syrup (here)

FOR THE FILLING: Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Halve the squash and remove the seeds and strings. Cut the squash into small pieces and place the pieces face-down on a rimmed baking sheet. Put the pan in the oven and pour enough hot water into the pan to barely cover the bottom. Roast until the squash is fork-tender, 50 to 60 minutes, and remove from the oven.

Drop the oven temp to 350ºF, and lightly oil a 9-inch square baking pan with coconut oil.

Scoop the softened flesh from the squash skins into a food processor or high-speed blender and puree. You should have about 2¼ cups squash puree. Add the remaining ingredients to the puree and blend until super smooth.

Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Bake until the filling begins to pull away from the sides of the pan (the middle of the filling may crack slightly), about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature (about 1 hour). Then chill until cold, at least 2 hours. It will keep in the fridge for up to a week.

FOR THE CRUMBLE: Toast the almonds in a sauté pan over medium heat, shaking the pan now and then, until the nuts are lightly browned and smelling nutty, about 2 minutes. Turn out into a bowl and let cool.

Transfer the cooled almonds to a food processor and add the sugar, salt, and chipotle (if using). Process until reduced to crumbs, but be careful not to take it all the way to nut butter. Transfer to a bowl. This sweet and salty crumble keeps for weeks. It’s great sprinkled on almost any dessert.

TO ASSEMBLE: Place a generous amount of the almond crumble on each of 6 to 8 dessert plates. Slice the chilled pie filling into 12 to 16 slices. Carefully remove each slice of filling and place two on top of each crumble serving. Drizzle with espresso syrup. You can assemble the crumble and filling on one large platter, as shown in the photo.

ESPRESSO SYRUP

MAKES ABOUT 1 CUP

1 cup good-quality brewed espresso

1 cup maple syrup

½ cup water

1 vanilla bean, split

Pinch of sea salt

Put everything in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Cut the heat to low and simmer until the liquid gets syrupy and reduces in volume by about half, 20 to 25 minutes total. The finished syrup should coat the back of a spoon while still hot. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 week. Just don’t eat the vanilla bean.