VEGETARIAN FEAST | 1, 2, 3, 4

PUMPKIN FLAN WITH PUMPKIN-SEED PRALINE Serves 8 to 10 Active time: 1 hour Start to finish: 7 3/4 hours 2 cups sugar 1 cup whole milk 2 (5-oz) cans evaporated milk (1 1/2 cups) 5 large eggs 1/4 teaspoon salt 15-oz can solid-pack pumpkin (1 3/4 cups) 2 tablespoons premium golden 100% agave tequila such as Herradura Reposado, or bourbon 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg ACCOMPANIMENT: Pumpkin-seed praline (recipe follows)

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Heat a 2-quart soufflé dish or round ceramic casserole in middle of oven.

Cook 1 cup sugar in a dry 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring slowly with a fork, until melted and pale golden. Cook caramel without stirring, swirling pan, until deep golden, about 5 minutes. Quickly and carefully remove hot dish from oven and immediately pour caramel into dish, tilting it to cover bottom and sides. (Leave oven on.) Keep tilting as caramel cools and thickens enough to stay in place.

Scald whole milk with evaporated milk in a saucepan and remove from heat. Beat eggs and remaining cup sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Beat in salt, pumpkin, tequila, and spices. Pour milk mixture through a sieve into a bowl and beat into pumpkin mixture in a slow stream until combined well.

Pour custard over caramel in dish and set in a water bath of 1 inch hot water. Put pan in middle of oven and lower temperature to 350°F. Bake until golden brown on top and a knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours, possibly longer. Remove dish from water bath and transfer to a rack to cool. Chill flan, covered, until cold, at least 6 hours.

To unmold flan, run a thin knife around flan to loosen from sides of dish. Wiggle dish from side to side and, when flan moves freely in dish, inert a large serving platter with a lip over dish. Holding dish and platter securely together, quickly invert and turn out flan onto platter. Caramel will pour out over and around it.

Cut flan into wedges and serve with caramel spooned over and with shards of praline.

PUMPKIN-SEED PRALINE

Serves 8 to 10
Active time: 30 minutes
Start to finish: 1 hour

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup hulled (green) pumpkin seeds, toasted

Preheat oven to 250°F. Lightly oil a large sheet of foil on a baking sheet and keep warm in oven.

Cook sugar, water, and a pinch of salt in a deep 2-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring slowly with a metal fork, until melted and pale golden. Cook caramel without stirring, swirling pan, until deep golden. Immediately stir in pumpkin seeds and quickly pour onto foil, spreading into a thin sheet before it hardens. (If caramel hardens and is difficult to spread, put in a 400°F oven until warm enough to spread, 1 to 2 minutes.)

Cool praline on baking sheet on a rack until completely hardened, then break into large pieces.

MAKE DOUGH:
Pulse together flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle in 4 tablespoons ice water and pulse until pastry starts to hold together, adding remaining tablespoon ice water if needed. Turn dough out onto a very lightly floured surface and knead 4 or 5 times. Form dough into a disk and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, 30 minutes.

MAKE FILLING:
Simmer water, Calvados, and prunes, uncovered, until most of liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Stir together cinnamon, cloves, 2 tablespoons flour, and 1/2 cup sugar.

Pulse and core apples and cut into 1/2-inch wedges. Halve wedges crosswise and toss with cinnamon mixture. Add lemon juice and toss to coat.

Finely grind walnuts with remaining 3 tablespoons flour and remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a food processor.

ASSEMBLE AND BAKE TART:
Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface into a 14- to 18-inch oval. Roll dough loosely onto floured rolling pin and unroll onto a large buttered baking sheet. Sprinkle walnut mixture over pastry, leaving a 2 1/2 to 3-inch border.

Stir stewed prunes into apple mixture and spoon over walnut mixture, evenly tucking prunes between apple pieces. Turn edge of dough over fruit to form pleats. Brush top of dough with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake tart, loosely covered with foil, in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until crust and fruit are golden and juices are bubbling, about 30 minutes more. Cool tart on baking sheet on a rack at least 20 minutes before serving.

COOKS' NOTES: Pastry dough may be made 2 days ahead and chilled.

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