Pumpkins and pine nuts are in the same boat in that both are easily influenced by other ingredients. I felt they needed each other in this dessert, which I created particularly for this book. In addition to flavor, the pine nuts provide structure in the cake and texture in the streusel.

　　

Ingredients

serves 12

　　

For the Prunes

24 pitted prunes

　　1 cup (280g) Simple Syrup (page 184)

　　1 cup (225g) Armagnac

　　

For the Pumpkin Puree

1 small cheese pumpkin

　　2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter, softened

　　2 tablespoons (26g) dark brown sugar

　　Coarse salt

　　

For the Streusel

Generous 1/2 cup (76g) pine nuts

　　Packed 2 tablespoons (28g) brown sugar

　　1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

　　Coarse salt

　　4 tablespoons (58g) unsalted butter, melted

　　

For the Cake

5 tablespoons (50g) pine nuts

　　Scant 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour

　　1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (190g) semolina flour

　　1/2 teaspoon (2g) coarse salt

　　1/2 teaspoon (2g) baking powder

　　Packed 5 teaspoons (25g) brown sugar

　　1/3 cup (65g) granulated sugar

　　5 tablespoons (70g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

　　2 large eggs

　　1 cup (200g) pumpkin puree

　　1 tablespoon (8g) extra-virgin olive oil

　　Grated zest of half a lemon

　　1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

　　

For the Prunes

Step 1

Cut the prunes in half and put them in a bowl. Cover with boiling water and leave them to plump for 10 minutes. Drain well and place in a clean bowl. Mix the simple syrup and Armagnac together and pour over the prunes. Let macerate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight. Store the prunes in the maceration liquid.

　　

For the Pumpkin Puree

Step 2

Heat the oven to 375°F or 350°F on convection.

　　

Step 3

Cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds and fibers. Use a small sharp knife to score the flesh in a checkerboard pattern, cutting in about 1/2 inch. Rub each half with the butter, sprinkle with the brown sugar, and season with salt. Put the pumpkin on a baking sheet, cut-side up, and bake until very tender and browned, about 45 minutes.

　　

Step 4

When the pumpkin is cool enough to handle, peel it and put the flesh through a food mill.

　　

Step 5

Line a strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth. Scrape the pumpkin puree into the strainer, set it over a bowl, cover with cheesecloth, and weight it. Let the puree drain for at least 2 hours to remove the excess liquid.

　　

For the Streusel

Step 6

Put the pine nuts, the sugars, and a pinch of salt in a food processor. Pulse to chop the nuts. Slowly add the butter, pulsing until you have pea-sized pieces. Transfer to a bowl and chill until ready to use.

　　

For the Cake

Step 7

Heat the oven to 350°F or 325°F on convection. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat or parchment. Spray twelve 2 x 2-inch ring molds or 1 1/2-inch square molds with cooking spray and set on the pan.

　　

Step 8

Put the pine nuts, all-purpose flour, semolina, salt, baking powder, and sugars in a food processor. Pulse and process until the pine nuts are ground. Add the butter and pulse until well mixed; the texture should be coarse.

　　

Step 9

Combine the eggs, pumpkin puree, olive oil, zest, and vanilla seeds (rinse, dry, and save the pod for another use) in a mixing bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add to the processor and process for 30 seconds.

　　

Step 10

Coarsely chop half of the drained prunes and fold into the batter. Fill the molds two-thirds full. Top with the streusel, filling the molds. Bake until a tester comes out clean and the streusel is browned, about 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking.

　　

Step 11

Let cool briefly, then remove the molds.

　　

To Serve

Step 12

Put the warm cakes on dessert plates and garnish with the remaining prunes and the maceration liquid.

　　

make it simpler

Step 13

You could use canned pumpkin puree.

　　Reprinted with permission from Dessert Fourplay: Sweet Quartets from a Four-Star Pastry Chef by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Copyright © 2008 by Johnny Iuzzini and Roy Finamore. Published by Crown Publishing. All Rights Reserved.Johnny Iuzzini,, executive pastry chef of the world-renowned Jean Georges restaurant in New York City, won the award for Outstanding Pastry Chef from the James Beard Foundation in 2006. This is his first book.Roy Finamore, a publishing veteran of more than thirty years, has worked with many bestselling cookbook authors. He is the author of three books: One Potato, Two Potato; Tasty, which won a James Beard Foundation award; and Fish Without a Doubt.__