You guys.
I am meeting a legend. In two weeks.
I’ll be meeting Jacques Pépin. The Jacques Pépin who cooked alongside my idol, Julia Child. I am beyond excited.
I’m attending the 
And I might be more excited to stay at 
The American Club is a luxury spa and resort located in 
The parties! Friday night is the Taste of the Vine signature event where Wirtz Beverage Wisconsin and the Kitchens of Kohler proudly present one of the Midwest’s premier culinary events. This spectacular evening of wines, delicious hors d’oeuvres and live music is held against the inspiring backdrop of the Kohler Design Center. The Kohler Design Center is “a three-level showcase of innovative product design and technology, creative achievement, and American history.” This is seriously the coolest building ever and there are Kohler Company’s state-of-the-art products everywhere.
In honor of the Kohler Food and Wine Experience and meeting Jaques Pépin, I’ve been making some of his recipes. I recently made his 
In my mind, anything involving pumpkin and puff pastry is winning.
I absolutely loved the pumpkin with the swiss cheese and even threw some fontina on there too. You can never have enough cheese. And the apples? Because. . fall. . I brushed on some melted butter and sprinkled on some turbinado sugar. . I think they look lovely on top. And even if you don’t have any apples, this tart is wonderful. A must-bake for fall!
I had to make this tart twice to get everything just right. . so if you make this, please let me know what you think!!!
So, here’s to everything fall, the Kohler Food and Wine Experience and hopefully getting a photo opp with Jacques Pépin! If you’re local, be sure to check out the event line up and schedule and get tickets!! It’s going to be a great event!!
Hope to see you there!
Pumpkin Apple Tart
Ingredients
For the pumpkin gratin:
- 1 can 15.5 ounces 100% pure pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
For the tart:
- 1 box puff pastry dough defrosted
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 to 1 cup freshly grated Swiss cheese
- 1/2 to 1 cup freshly grated Fontina cheese
- 1 red apple unpeeled and very thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer)
- 2 tablespoons melted butter you can use salted or unsalted
- turbinado sugar
Instructions
For the pumpkin gratin:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spoon the pumpkin puree into a food processor and add the eggs, cream, cheese, salt, and pepper. Process for 10 to 15 seconds to combine.
- Coat a 6-cup gratin dish with the butter. Fill the dish with the pumpkin mixture. Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top and bake for about 35 to 45 minutes, or until set and lightly browned on top.
For the tart:
- Raise the oven temp to 400 degrees. Prep a parchment lined baking sheet and place the puff pastry sheet/s on top*. Using a sharp knife, lightly score the pastry dough 1 inch in from the edges all around to mark a rectangle. (There is a link to a video to see how this is done (below this recipe card) if this does not make sense). Then, using a fork, pierce the dough all around in the center, not the edges. Next, you can use that same sharp knife to make slits on the edges if desired. Bake the pastry dough until golden, for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the pastry shell from the oven, let it sit for a minute or two and then lightly drizzle on just a touch of extra virgin olive oil, spread on about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of pumpkin gratin and then sprinkle on the Swiss and Fontina cheese, using as much, or as little as you want. (I purposely used a little so you could see the pumpkin gratin on the tart).
- Arrange the apple slices on top, lightly brush the apples with the melted butter and sprinkle on some turbinado sugar. Bake the tart for about 20 to 25 minutes, or until cooked though and nicely browned. Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes. Slice, serve and enjoy immediately.
To see how to prep the puff pastry crust, you can watch this video. Jacques Pépin’s Pumpkin Gratin recipe can be found here.
Disclosure: I was invited to attend the Kohler Food & Wine Experience this year, sponsored by Kohler. All opinions expressed here are 100% my own.
