This delicious recipe is adapted from Diana Henry’s excellent book ‘roast figs sugar snow’.  It is an elegant way to use up the piles of pumpkin you are left with once you’ve made your lantern.

Rich shortcrust pastry:
6 oz plain flour
2 oz oats
6 oz butter
1/2 tsp salt
tbsp very cold water

Filling:
1 medium pumpkin or squash
tbsp olive oil
bunch spinach (or chard)
2 eggs
9 fl oz double cream
2 oz parmesan
1 tsp grated nutmeg
7 oz Gorgonzola

Make the pastry by cutting the fat into the flour.  Quickly rub the cut up fat into the flour with the tips of your fingers until it resembles bread crumbs.  Add the oats and salt, then, stirring with a knife, slowly add a little water and bring the mixture together.  Wrap it in foil or clingfilm and pop it in the fridge for half an hour (or overnight). 

Preheat the oven to 180c.  Roll the pastry out and press into a 9 inch tart tin (or into several mini tins).  Prick the bottom of the pastry and bake blind in the oven for 7-10 minutes.

Scoop out the pumpkin with a spoon and set aside to make a lantern.  Mix the scooped out pumpkin (seeds discarded) with the oil and spread out on a tray.  Bake for 20 mins or until just tender.

De-stalk and wash the spinach.  Chop finely, then wilt in a pan for 4 minutes and discard any water.  Make the custard by mixing together the eggs, cream, nutmeg and parmesan.

Spread the spinach in the bottom of the tart, then top with the pumpkin.  Crumble over the gorgonzola, then top with the custard.

Bake for 40 minutes if one big tart (25-30 for smaller ones) until the custard is set and the pastry golden.  Cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.