Kabocha-Satsuma Asian Pear Tart with Almond-Maple Caramel

A few months ago I tried my first kabocha squash. Since then, I've found the squash at a local Asian market and also the farmers' market, but not at grocery stores.

I love the flavor of kabocha because it tastes like butternut squash and pumpkin, which I love. I'd been wanting to create a pie with kabocha for some time.



Recently, I discovered a tart contest sponsored by Food52 and Martha Stewart. You had to create a tart recipe using late winter produce. The winner won a trip to New York to be on Martha's show! Wouldn't that be fun? I think it would be fun except being scared of Martha. She's such a powerful woman!

Well, I mulled over this contest for a week, trying to decide what to make. I thought about winter squash and how much I love them, and then remembered my beloved kabocha pie recipe idea and knew that's what I had to make.



This tart took me ALL day to bake, write the recipe and photograph. Entering recipe contests can be a lot of work! I have a lot of fun entering them, but man, they can be time consuming.

For this recipe I went with an Asian theme, and used the kabocha, almonds, coconut, satsuma orange and Asian pear. The crust is made of butter, brown sugar, almonds and flour. The filling of the tart is made with kabocha squash, brown sugar, eggs, coconut milk, satsuma orange juice, zest and spices, and topped with Asian pear and flaked coconut.



I garnished the tart with fresh whipped cream and an almond-maple caramel made with butter, maple syrup, brown sugar, cream, almonds and salt.

Sadly, I didn't win the contest (which happens 95% of the time with recipe contests). I still wanted to share the recipe with you all because this tart was delicious!

Now it's time to get work on some more contest recipes! Have you guys entered any recipe contests before? If you're not a paid food blogger you should enter the Pillsbury Bake-Off! That one seems like a lot of fun and you can win a million dollars...


Kabocha-Satsuma Asian Pear Tart with Almond-Maple Caramel
Printable Recipe

Crust
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup finely ground almonds
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Filling
1 cup cooked pureed Kabocha squash
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/3 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup fresh Satsuma orange juice
1 teaspoon finely grated Satsuma orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large Asian pear, peeled, cored, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
3 tablespoons unsweetened flaked coconut

Almond-Maple Caramel
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted

Whipped cream, for serving

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat inside and removable bottom of an 8-inch tart pan with cooking spray.

To make the crust, in a large bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup brown sugar until creamy – about 1 minute. Beat in 1/2 cup ground almonds and flour until combined, and a crumbly dough forms. Place dough in tart pan and press into bottom and sides. Bake 10-12 minutes or until light golden brown and fragrant.

To make the filling, in a large bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together squash and brown 1/4 cup sugar until well combined – about 1 minute. Beat in eggs, coconut milk, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and 1/4 teaspoon salt until well combined – about 2 minutes. Place filling into cooled tart shell; place pear slices on top; sprinkle with coconut. Bake 30-35 minutes or until set, and pear is light golden brown; cool on a wire rack.

To make the Almond-Maple Caramel, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together 1 tablespoon butter, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, maple syrup, cream and 1/8 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil. Boil 3 minutes, whisking frequently, until sugar is dissolved; whisk in 3 tablespoons sliced almonds until combined. Remove outer ring from tart pan. Evenly drizzle Almond-Maple Caramel on top of tart. Serve tart slices with whipped cream.

Makes 9 servings