PUMPKIN BANANA MOUSSE TART

Back in the days when Moveable Feast had a benefit every year and when I was a member of its board, I would donate an evening of cocktails and dinner for 6 (the number my dining room table would comfortably fit) as a live auction item. Each year, the dinner brought more money until I finally donated two dinners, both at the next-to-final bid. This brought in about $5000.00 to my favorite charity. This high revenue (as I thought of it) gave me a high responsibility to produce something the guests could think worthy of their expenditure. The year the winning bidders brought then mayor, now governor, O'Malley to dinner, I served this great dessert, one of my all-time favorites. It takes a little time to prepare. But believe me, it's worth it. The now governor's wife, Katy O'Malley, asked me for the recipe.

PUMPKIN BANANA MOUSSE TART

serves 10

 For the crust

2 C graham cracker crumbs, about 14 crackers

1/3 C sugar

1/4 t ground cinnamon

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the filling

1/2 C half and half

1 (15-oz) can pumpkin puree

1 C light brown sugar

3/4 t salt

1/4 t nutmeg

1/2 t cinnamon

3 large egg yolks

1 pakcage unflavored gelatin

1 ripe banana, mashed finely

1 t grated orange zest

1/2 C cold heavy cream

2 T sugar

For the decoration

1 C heavy cream

1/4 C sugar

1/2 t vanilla

orange zest in strands (you can buy a tool to do this; it also makes great lemon peels for drinks)

1. Heat oven to 350. Mix all crust ingredients in a 10-12 inch tart pan with a removeable bottom. (Just press the crumbs into the pan and up the sides. You can use the bottom of a flat-bottomed glass to press the crumbs into the tart pan.) Bake 10 minutes and cool on a rack.

2. Heat, in a double boiler, for 5 minutes: half and half, pumpkin puree, sugar, salt and spices.

3. Whisk egg yolks. Stir hot pumpkin into egg yolks, a little at first, so as not to scramble eggs. Fold in pumpkin completely. Heat for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the mixture begins to thicken. Remove from heat.

4. Dissolve the gelatin in 1/4 C cold water. Add this and the zest and bananas to the pumpkin mixture. Stir and cool.

5. Whip heavy cream to soft peaks, add sugar and whisk to stiff peaks. Fold into pumpkin and spread in prepared shell. Cool at least 2 hours or overnight.

6. To decorate: whip cream to soft peaks, add sugar and vanilla, continue whisking to stiff peaks. Pipe onto tart and add strings of orange zest. (Or you can just spoon it on.)

This is one of my two favorite desserts and after all the trouble to make it, your guests will remember it forever!