PUMPKIN Finale

For most of us, pumpkin pie is the hallmark sweet ending to the holiday feast. Let's break tradition this year. Pumpkin baklava bars, anyone?

- JAN MILLER

Pumpkin Chiffon Baklava Bars

Everything about this dessert is light, from the delicate crisp phyllo crust to the fluffy pumpkin filling gently spiced with cardamom and a hint of orange. As with all proper chiffons, it melts in your mouth with every bite.

HANDS ON 50 min.

TOTAL TIME 3 hr

1 cup orange juice
¼ cup plus
3 Tbsp. sugar
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1½ tsp. ground cardamom
1 cup canned pumpkin
½ cup roasted, unsalted
6 pistachios or almonds sheets frozen phyllo dough (14×9-inch rectangles), thawed
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup heavy cream Chopped roasted, unsalted pistachios or almonds (optional)
1 recipe Toasted Phyllo Topper (optional) Honey (optional)

1. For filling, in a medium saucepan combine orange juice, the cup sugar, the gelatin, and 1 tsp. of the cardamom. Let stand 1 minute. Bring to boiling over medium, stirring to dissolve gelatin. Remove from heat; let stand 5 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl; stir in pumpkin.

Cover and chill, stirring every 30 minutes, until mixture begins to set, 1 hour.

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350°F. Add ½ cup nuts to a small food processor; pulse until nuts are evenly ground. Transfer to a small bowl. Add 1 Tbsp. of the sugar and the remaining 1/2 tsp ground cardamom.