Autumn greetings from The Garden!

Its an exciting time of year here at The Lodge, and with all of the holidays fast approaching, its a great opportunity to get creative in the kitchen before those Thanksgiving menus are set.

I have had some amazing produce to choose from out of our local Farmers Markets this past season.

One in particular was up the road in Duvall, where I happened upon a wonderful trio of folks that run the River Willow Farm.

It was a visit to their tent in late September, that yielded me a medley of squash including a beautiful sweet pumpkin and a plump buttercup squash that promised to become a tasty Fall dessert.

Their bountiful harvest, and an endearing spirits stuck with me, even after I returned home with my treasures. I decided to hold onto my pumpkin and squash for a bit to decide what to transform them into, and a couple of weeks ago I started to give them new life as my Pumpkin Spiced Maple Cream Cheese Mini Tarts. My pumpkin and squash from River Willow Farm were big enough to make several different recipes, and in a savory application, I also turned them into an Autumn Harvest Curry Bisque, which I will blog on another day.

There is nothing like that fresh pumpkin and squash flavor right out of the garden.The rich and buttery texture combined with hints of creamy sweetness, are deliciously elevated once you infuse all of those wonderful Fall flavors. And, since there is a vegan substitute for just about anything you can imagine (including butter and cream cheese), I decided go all out with a decadent pumpkin treat.

So here is what you will need:

Pumpkin Spiced Maple Cream Cheese Mini Tarts

Yields 30 mini tarts

Pumpkin (small sweet variety)- 4 cups cubed which is about half

Buttercup squash- medium sized/ ripe- 4 cups cubed which is about half

Maple syrup- Grade B Organic : 1/2 cup for baked filling and 2 TBsp for cold filling

Butter- Earth Balance vegan butter substitute: 4 TBsp or half of a stick

Vegan cream cheese- One 8oz container. *I use Tofutti , Go Veggie or  Daiya

Mini Fillo Shells- pre baked in freezer section: 2 packages with 15 shells in each

Pumpkin Pie spice- 2 TBsp for baked filling and 1 TBsp for cold filling

Ginger- 1 tsp

Cinnamon- 1 TBsp

Coconut sugar-1/2 c for baked filling and a few Tablespoons to sprinkle for garnish

Brown sugar- 1/2 c for baked filling and an additional 1/4 cup for cold filling

Resealable plastic bag- large gallon size for piping pumpkin the cream cheese mixture

A food processor, a mixing bowl, and a  9×13 in glass baking dish

Step 1: The Baked Filling

First thing’s first. We need to break down the pumpkin and the squash. Once the baked filling is completed, it will need to be refrigerated for 2- 4 hrs. It can seem like an intimidating task at first glance, but if you approach it in steps, its really not that complicated. After cutting them each in half, we will remove the seeds (which I save and roast with maple sugar and curry) and the stringy innards.

*these are the seeds after I rinsed and dried them, and prepared them for roasting.

Then the pumpkin and squash should be cut into slices, followed by bite sized cubes.

I cut up 4 cups of each. Once you have them in the cubed form, you will simply trim the skin off of each cube before tossing it in a bowl. After all of the pumpkin and squash are prepped and in the bowl, we will begin to add the other ingredients.

Into the bowl, you will add 1/2 cup maple syrup, 2 Tablespoons of pumpkin pie spice, a Tablespoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of ginger. Stir to incorporate and then add the coconut sugar. Mix well and toss to coat.

Pour the spiced pumpkin and squash into a greased 9×13 in 3 QT glass baking dish and spread evenly.

Cut up cold butter into small cubes and distribute over the top, then sprinkle with 1/2 cup brown sugar.

Cover with foil and bake in a 400 degree oven for 35-40 minutes or until pumpkin and squash are soft and caramelized.

Allow to cool for an additional 30 minutes for all of the liquid to be reabsorbed. Stir and mash to incorporate all ingredients, and then allow to cool completely before refrigerating. After baked pumpkin and squash are cold, the mixture can be added back into the bowl to create the base for the cold filling.

Step 2: The Cold Filling

This step is much easier and alot less time consuming. After returning your pumpkin/squash mixture into the mixing bowl, you will add the cream cheese, and whip together to blend.

Once well mixed, the filling will be put into a food processor along with the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 TBsp of maple syrup, and another TBsp of Pumpkin Pie Spice. Pulse to mix and then run on high for 1 minute. Mixture should be evenly blended and creamy with a thick velvety texture. Put cold filling into a plastic resealable bag and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Step 3: The Tart

Take your mini fillo shells out of the freezer and place them onto a flat surface (or a mini muffin tin) as I did.

Retrieve your cold filling in its plastic bag, and massage it a few times to loosen up the mixture. Squeeze it down into one corner of the bag and twist the top down in your hand to create a “piping” device for the cold filling. Once you are ready to begin filling your shells, cut the corner off of the bag and squeeze the mixture into each shell by filling the bottom first and lifting up then squeezing  and lifting, until the shell is full.

Step 4: The Finishing Touch

Once all of the tarts are filled, dust each of them with some pumpkin pie spice and finish with a sprinkle of coconut sugar.

Now all you need is a crowd to gobble them up! No matter the occasion, these tiny little Pumpkin delights will be irresistible at any holiday gathering. Enjoy!

A special thank you to the River Willow Farm for my beautiful pumpkin and my delicious squash that were used in this recipe. I will see you next season for more of your locally sourced amazing fare!

You can follow them on Facebook, and pay them a visit for yourself next year. Their produce is also available locally at the Duvall Family Grocer during the Market season.

As always, “lettuce” know what you think, and plant your questions and comments here in The Garden. Come see us again for another Autumn recipe straight from the harvest.

Thanks for visiting The Enchanted Garden Goddess, see you next time!