Caramelised Pumpkin and Spinach Tart with Paprika, Caraway Seed and Cheese Pastry

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.

Pastry: Place all the ingredients, except the egg yolk and water, in a food processor. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Combine the yolk with 2 tablespoons of the water and add to the mixture. Pulse until the dough just starts to come together, adding the extra water if necessary. 

Tip onto the bench and finish bringing the dough together by hand. Divide in half and form into two flat discs then wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes. 

Roll the chilled pastry out on a lightly floured bench and line the tin. Chill or freeze until firm.

Filling: Place the pumpkin on a lined baking tray, brush with olive oil and season. Roast for 20 minutes or until just tender and lightly golden. Cool.

Heat a little oil in a sauté pan and cook the onion, garlic and thyme with a good pinch of salt until soft. Add the spinach and turn until wilted. Cool.

Whisk the sour cream in a bowl until smooth. Whisk in the eggs, cream, mustard and nutmeg and season well. Pour into a jug. 

Place the tart tin on a flat baking tray. Sprinkle half of the blue cheese over the base then top with all of the onion mixture. Add the remaining blue cheese then arrange the pumpkin over the top. Carefully pour the cream mixture over the pumpkin. Don’t let the mixture overflow or the tart will stick in the tin. 

Bake for 15 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 150°C.

Continue to bake for another 35 minutes. Loosely cover the top of the tart with foil if it’s overbrowning. The tart should feel firm to the touch with no uncooked liquid in the base. Cool for 1 hour before removing from the tin. 

Cook’s Tips: The pastry recipe makes enough for 2 x 20cm round or 2 x 35cm rectangle tarts and will freeze for up to 2 months. The filling is for 1 tart, so double if making two.

To make it easier on the day of serving, the pumpkin and the onion/spinach base can be cooked 2 days ahead. Make the pastry 1 day ahead. Line the tin, cover and freeze until ready to assemble. Make the cream mixture on the day of cooking.