Halloween Tarts by Pastryfied

Ingredients:

Crust:

5.3 oz Honey Graham Crackers, finely crushed (or Digestive Biscuits)

3.5 oz Speculaas Cookies, finely crushed

1.8 oz Soft Brown Sugar

4.2 oz Westgold Butter, melted

Filling:

7 oz Pumpkin Puree (or a whole Buttercup pumpkin if making your own)

8.8 oz Cream Cheese

3.5 oz Soft Brown Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon, ground

1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg, ground

1/4 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1.8 oz Fresh Cream

1 oz Maple Syrup

2 Eggs, size 7

Pecan Praline:

5.29 oz Pecan Nuts

3.5 oz Westgold Butter

3.5 oz Soft Brown Sugar

3.5 oz Fresh Cream

0.7 oz Bailey’s (optional)

1/4 teaspoon Salt

Mascarpone Cheesecake:

4.6 oz Fresh Cream, lightly whipped (keep in the fridge until ready to use)

8.8 oz Mascarpone Cheese

2.6 oz Maple Syrup

3.5 oz White Chocolate, melted

Method:

Crust:

In a large bowl, combine the crushed Graham crackers & Speculaas cookies. Pour in the melted butter and mix until it resembles damp sand.

Grab the 6-hole cheesecake pans and pack down the crumbs evenly at the bottom, creating a tight surface. Chill in the fridge until needed.

Filling:

If making your own pumpkin puree:

Preheat oven to 360°F.

Cut the pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds.

Lay on the prepared pans with the skin sides up and roast for up to 1 hour.

Scoop out the flesh and mash until smooth or process for an even smoother finish.

Measure 7 oz of the puree to put in a bowl and set aside. The extra can be frozen for future use.

Pecan Praline:

Preheat the oven to 360°F.

Toss the pecan nuts into a baking pan, and toast for about 10 minutes. Don’t let it burn. Cool down, then chop into pieces. Set aside.

On medium heat, cook the butter and brown sugar until glossy, while gently stirring. Add in the fresh cream, Baileys and salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer until the syrup is thicker, around 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Dump in the pecan nuts, mixing until the nuts are fully coated in caramel.

Spread on top of the pumpkin cheesecakes.

Mascarpone Cheesecake:

Place the Mascarpone cheese and maple syrup in a bowl, beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add in the melted white chocolate and lightly whipped cream. Fold until mixture is well blended.

Scoop the cheesecake into piping bags with your favorite piping nozzle and pipe on top of the tarts. Then tweeze on some edible gold leaves. This part is optional.

Note: Molds were used for the cheesecake skulls in this recipe, so added a bit of gelatin to keep it together