Move Over PSL! Hello, Drunken Apple Pumpkin Tarts.

Are you all pumpkin-ed out yet? No? Good! Because I have one more treat you need to bake before we move on to the holiday season. This recipe is a bit of a hybrid between a mini galette and a Danish pastry (which have the centre filled with custard), the result is a crunchy buttery tart with a creamy pumpkin center, topped with a drunken apple — seriously good!

Oh, and don’t worry you won’t need to make puff pastry from scratch and I won’t make you cook a fresh pumpkin, this recipe is more about assembling a few things, put it in the oven, and let all the work and magic happen in there. If you’re planning a fall party, this recipe is perfect to entertain and appease both the sweet tooth and pumpkin-loving peeps.

I suggest you serve all of the tarts at once in a large tray for extra ‘wow’ factor, it also makes it easier for you since your guests can take over after that. I sprinkled some toasted pecans and icing sugar as garnish, but you can do ice cream or whipped cream if you want to.

Alright, let’s get into this pumpkin business one more time!

Drunken Apple Pumpkin Tarts
Makes 6 small tarts

Ingredients:

1 frozen puff pastry sheet (usually there’s 1 per pack)

For the apples:
3 small apples (use something juicy and sturdy like pink lad
¼ cup bourbon
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup maple syrup
2 tbsp butter
Pinch of salt

For the pumpkin custard:
1 can pumpkin purée
½ cup condensed milk
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground nutmeg
3 large eggs

Icing sugar and toasted pecans to garnish (or ice cream)

Instructions:

Thaw the pastry in the fridge for a couple hours. While the pastry is thawing, make the apples. Start by preheating the oven to 400F. Cut the apples in half and core them with a melon baller or spoon, mix the bourbon, brown sugar, and maple syrup then pour liquid into a small baking dish (small enough to fit the apples). Place the apples core side down onto the baking dish, break apart the butter with your fingers and scatter in pan. Bake the apples for 15-10 min until they turn slightly brown and they’re soft. Remove from the oven, take them out of the pan and save the liquid from the baking dish. Leave the oven on.

To make the pumpkin custard, place the pumpkin purée in a small sauce pan over low heat. Add the condensed milk, cinnamon and nutmeg, once warm to the touch (not boiling or simmering or you’ll have scramble eggs) add one egg at a time while whisking, continue to whisk for another 10 min until mixture warms up and starts to thicken. Remove from heat and whisk for another 2 minutes and let cool.

Take the puff pastry out of the sheet, roll onto a rectangle and cut into 6 squares. Dab the edges with egg wash and roll them in a bit to create an edge, place about 2 tbsp of the pumpkin custard, sprinkle edges with brown sugar and bake for 10 min at 400F, then lower the temp to 350F and bake for another 10-15 minutes until golden brown and crispy (note: work fast to keep the dough cold, if needed refrigerate in between steps to keep it cool).

Add half a baked apple to each little tart, sprinkle with icing sugar and toasted pecans and serve warm.

Enjoy!

Photography and recipe by Gabriel Cabrera.

Gabriel Cabrera is a Photographer and Stylist living and working in Vancouver, Canada. He's a travel addict with a penchant for Nordic design, Latin Food, and French pastries. When he's not testing recipes at home, he can be found sipping one or two cocktails while brunching with friends. He believes chocolate can always save the day. You can follow along his food adventures on Artful Desperado and Instagram.