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Pumpkin-Pecan Tart

The perfect pumpkin pie or tart is a sweet, tender union of moist filling and crisp crust. But only hours after baking, an ugly breakdown can occur if the filling weeps and the crust turns soggy.

The pastry's strength is substantially increased by blind-baking, a technique in which the pastry is twice-baked before being filled. Baking the shell separately also protects the delicate filling, which needs a lower temperature to prevent its drying out.

Makes 6 to 8 servings

• 1 (8-inch) unbaked Butter Pastry tart shell (Butter Pastry)
• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 2/3 cup pecan halves
• 3 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup thick pumpkin puree
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups whipping cream (divided use)
• 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place a layer of foil or parchment paper in the tart shell and fill it with dried beans or pie weights. Bake tart shell 12 minutes; carefully remove weights and foil or parchment paper liner. Set shell aside to cool completely in the pan in which it was baked. When fully cooled, cover edges of shell with strips of aluminum foil.

Mix 1/3 cup of the brown sugar with butter; spread in bottom of cooled tart shell. Dot with pecans and return to 400-degree oven. Bake 10 minutes to toast pecans and lightly brown shell; remove from oven, remove foil strips, and set shell aside, still in its pan.

Meanwhile, mix eggs, yolks, pumpkin puree, flour, remaining brown sugar, cloves, cinnamon, salt and 1 cup of the whipping cream.

Reduce oven to 325 degrees. Pour filling into blind-baked shell; bake until knife inserted into filling is dry when removed (about 45 minutes). Allow tart to cool; cover and refrigerate if it won't be served within 2 hours.

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