We are pretty addicted to pumpkin in our house lately. Although our Thanksgiving was weeks ago, we are still dealing with lot of sweet treats made of pumpkin. 

Quite a few loaves of pumpkin bread in the freezer waiting to be given as gifts. Have made two of pumpkin chiffon tarts for friends. Dozens of mini cinnamon sugar pumpkin donuts for my kids to snack. Still we have a lot of fresh pumpkin puree in the fridge, thanks to my lovely mother-in-law’s naturally sweet Japanese pumpkins.

Having too much pumpkin is one thing, the other thing is I was given a new kitchen torch, and I couldn’t wait to toast meringue with it! Oh, toasted meringues are the most beautiful thing to decorate a tart. The toasty marks go perfectly with the vivid yellow pumpkin filling. I love this tart so much for its simplicity, its beautiful colors and its delicious taste.

Ingredients (two 5-inch mini tarts or one 9-inch tart ):
Crust
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
Pumpkin Filling
1 package unflavored gelatin powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 can (14 ounces) condensed milk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cup pumpkin puree
Meringue Topping
2 egg whites
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease springform pan(s).
To prepare crust, combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl. Mix until a moist yet crumbly mixture forms. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the prepared pan.
Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
To prepare filling, combine gelatin, cinnamon, ginger, salt, condensed milk and eggs in a saucepan. Let stand for 10 minutes. Then cook over low heat, whisking continuously, until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat.
Stir in pumpkin. Mix to combine.
Pour the mixture into the cooled graham cracker crust.
Refrigerate the tart(s) until set, at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight.
Before serving, in a large heatproof bowl, combine sugar and egg whites. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat on high speed until foamy for a minute. Set bowl over a pan of barely simmering water. Beat on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 6 minutes.
Remove from heat, stir in water, and beat for another 2 minutes until mixture thickens.
Transfer meringue to a large pastry bag fitted with a wide plain pastry tip and pipe large tips on the tart(s).
Using a kitchen torch, lightly brown the meringue.