Recipe courtesy Elizabeth Baird, Canadian Living Magazine.
ingredients
Crust
Filling
Garnish
directions
Preheat oven to 350 degree F.
In food processor, whirl gingersnap cookies to make 3 cups crumbs.
Add butter and whirl until moistened. Press onto bottom and up side of 9 x 1 ½-inch round tart pan with removable bottom.
Bake in centre of 350 degree F oven until firm to the touch, about 10 minutes. Let cool on rack.
Meanwhile, in small bowl, sprinkle gelatine over rum. Set aside. In large bowl, beat eggs with brown sugar until pale. Beat in pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Transfer to saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until candy thermometer registers 160 degrees F, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add gelatine mixture and stir until melted. Add white chocolate and stir until melted. Scrape into a large bowl. Refrigerate, stirring occasionally, until slightly colder than room temperature but not set, about 1 ½ hours.
In bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Beat in granulated sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until stiff glossy peaks form.
In separate bowl, whip cream. Fold into pumpkin mixture. Fold in one-third of the egg whites; fold in remaining whites. Scrape into crust. Swirl top decoratively. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.
Line 1 baking sheet (with rims) with parchment paper.
In bowl over saucepan of hot (not boiling water), melt the 4-ounces of white chocolate.
Spread ½ of the melted chocolate onto the baking sheets lined with parchment. Spread remaining chocolate onto another baking sheet that is not lined with parchment. Refrigerate until firm.
Using a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter, cut out shapes from the chocolate on the baking sheet lined with parchment. To decorate the pumpkin cut outs: With paintbrush, paint stem with green paste food colouring. Paint edges of pumpkin with orange paste food colouring. Refrigerate until dry, 2 hours.
Set the remaining pan (not lined with parchment) on damp towel. With large knife held firmly in both hands, scrape chocolate away from you into shards. Set aside.
In bowl, whip cream. Using piping bag fitted with ¼ inch star tip, place tip at crust edge. Pipe in 1-inch swags, lifting tip at end of swag, around edge. Garnish with white chocolate pumpkins and shards. Makes 8 to 10 servings.