Pumpkin Tart with Goat Cheese and Sage

Only a few weeks until Halloween. I'm not really into decorating for each and every holiday. My parents never did it but I've always liked seeing what other people do.  However, I am going to do at least a little decorating for Christmas.  Last year when I was in Albuquerque neither Christi and I were going to be at our apartment for the 2 weeks around Christmas so we didn't do much.  Well, we did go to Walmart and bought the smallest tree we could find. It was about two inches tall and lived on top of our TV for the remainder of the year.  It was cute and made us laugh but there is something very special about Christmas lights. Steve and I are both going home for Christmas this year so I don't think we are going to get a Christmas tree. Does anyone have any recommendations for how we can decorate for Christmas without getting a tree?

Instead of decorating for the seasons I cook for the seasons. And it being fall there are tons of pumpkins everywhere! We found a great pumpkin at HEB, our grocery store, for about $4 and I'm all ready to cut it up and start cooking!

First on the list is this savory Pumpkin Tart!

Pumpkin Tart with Goat Cheese and Sage
4 cups cubed pumpkin
3 tablespoons dried sage
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
1 sheet puff pastry, or your own crust
EVOO
Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Prepare the pumpkin by cutting off the peel and the inside layer of pulp. The cubes should be about half an inch by half an inch.  Spread the cubes out on a baking sheet and drizzle with 2 tablespoons EVOO, salt and pepper.  Bake for 15 minutes, stir, and bake for another 15 minutes or until just after the pieces are soft and you can easily slide a fork tall the way through them.  You want to make sure to take them out before they get mushy. If you are pressed for time you can prepare the pumpkin a few hours or even the night before.

Lay the sheet to puff pasty, or crust of your choice, on a baking sheet.  Poke with a fork and spread on some EVOO, salt, and a tablespoon of sage.  Place the pumpkin on the dough leaving a 1 to 2 inch border and top with the goat cheese.  Fold the edges of the crust up over the pumpkin and cheese before drizzling EVOO on the crust.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 400 degrees or until the dough is crispy and golden brown.  Enjoy!