It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without something pumpkin on the table. And every year, I can’t wait to serve a new, wonderful pumpkin dish to my family and friends. You see pumpkin in everything these days—lattes, donuts, breads—but I think it really shines most in a classic dessert. The recipe below is so easy and beautiful, we knew it just had to be the cover of TeaTime‘s September/October issue. 

Pumpkin Mousse Tartlets
Yield: 8 tartlets | Preparation: 35 minutes
Bake: 13 minutes | Cool: 30 minutes
Refrigerate: 4 hours

36 crisp gingersnap cookies
5 tablespoons salted butter, melted
¼ cup sugar
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon salt
¹⁄8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup mascarpone cheese
1 recipe Sweetened Whipped Cream (recipe follows)
Garnish: ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350°.
In the work bowl of a food processor, process cookies until finely ground.
In a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs, melted butter, and sugar, stirring to blend. Divide crumb mixture evenly among 8 (4-inch) round tartlet pans with removable bottoms, pressing crumb mixture firmly into bottoms and up sides of pans.
Bake until crisp, approximately 13 minutes. Let cool completely.
In a medium sauté pan, combine pumpkin, confectioners’ sugar, cream, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer over low heat, stirring frequently. Cook for 5 minutes to mellow spices. Add vanilla extract, stirring well. Let pumpkin mixture cool completely.
Add mascarpone cheese to pumpkin mixture, whisking to combine. Divide mixture evenly among prepared tartlet shells. Refrigerate until cold, approximately 4 hours.
Place Sweetened Whipped Cream in a piping bag fitted with a large open-star tip (Wilton #1M). Pipe a decorative rosette onto each tartlet.
Garnish each tartlet with a sprinkle of ground nutmeg, if desired.

Sweetened Whipped Cream
Yield: 1½ cups | Preparation: 5 minutes

1 cup cold heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

In a mixing bowl, combine cream, confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract. Beat at high speed with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
Refrigerate until needed.

Make-ahead tip: Whipped cream can be made earlier in the day and refrigerated in a covered container until needed.

Are you serving a pumpkin dish at your Thanksgiving feast?

Get this issue!