If You are What You Eat....

...then right now I'm ginger. A rather appropriate description (minus the hair)-- I could probably do worse than being spicy, earthy, and well paired with something sweet. So you'll have to excuse me if you've noticed a repeating theme to my recent posts.

This is my variation of the Barefoot Contessa's Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart. I've traded the graham cracker crust for ginger snaps and added a few additional spices. Don't let the banana throw you--this is as good as pumpkin pie, if not better! This is also wonderful with a little whipped cream.

Pumpkin Mousse Tart

For the crust:

• 2 cups Ginger Snap crumbs (14 crackers)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  
• 3 extra-large egg yolks
• 1 package (2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
• 1 ripe banana, finely mashed
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the Ginger snap crumbs, sugar, and melted butter in a bowl and mix well. Pour into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press evenly into the sides and then the bottom. Bake for 10 minutes and then cool to room temperature.

For the filling, heat the half-and-half, pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until hot, about 5 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks in another bowl, stir some of the hot pumpkin into the egg yolks to heat them, then pour the egg-pumpkin mixture back into the double boiler and stir well. Heat the mixture over the simmering water for another 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken, stirring constantly. You don't want the eggs to scramble. Remove from the heat.

Dissolve the gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water. Add the dissolved gelatin, banana, and orange zest to the pumpkin mixture and mix well. Set aside to cool.

Whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until you have firm peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture and pour it into the cooled tart shell. Chill for 2 hours or overnight. Serve chilled.