Methods

To make the persimmon pie spice

1. Combine the cinnamon, mace, cloves, cardamom and allspice in a spice grinder and blend until fine.
2. Transfer the ground spices to a small bowl and add the ground ginger, nutmeg and pepper, and mix to combine. Transfer to an airtight container.

To make the tart dough

1. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar and salt together. Add the cubes of cold butter and gently toss to coat the cubes in flour. Using your hands, cut the butter into the flour, flattening it out into big shards and tossing again to coat in the flour. Working quickly so the butter does not soften too much, continue to cut the butter into the flour until the butter resembles the size of almonds. The flour will look shaggy and not uniform, that’s okay!
2. Sprinkle the flour mixture with 3 tablespoons of ice water and toss to moisten. Continue to add ice water one tablespoon at a time until a very loose dough starts to form. (Do not use more than 5 tablespoons of water total, the dough will hydrate as it rests.)
3. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and compress together into a disk. Wrap well and refrigerate for at least an hour, up to overnight.

To prepare the tart

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out into about a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9.5-inch tart pan. Pick up edges and allow dough to slump down into pan, letting excess dough hang over dish. Trim, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the overhang in pressing against the sides of the tart pan (this will make sure that you have those classic scalloped edges on the tart). Place in the freezer for 10–15 minutes.
3. Remove the tart shell from the freezer, prick the bottom of the crust with a fork in several places and line with parchment paper. Add pie weights, rice or beans on top of the paper, spreading into an even layer. Bake the shell for 18 minutes. Carefully remove the pie weights and parchment paper. Return the parbaked tart shell to the oven and bake until lightly golden and almost all the way cooked through, about another 8–11 minutes.
4. While the tart shell is parbaking, make the filling. Add the persimmon chunks to a blender and blend until smooth (you should have about a cup of persimmon purée).
5. Transfer the persimmon purée to a large bowl, add the egg, egg yolks and brown sugar and whisk until smooth. Add the heavy whipping cream, date syrup, vanilla extract, persimmon spice mix and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
6. Remove the parbaked tart shell from the oven and place on a baking sheet. Give the filling mixture one last stir to make sure everything is combined and then carefully pour the filling into the tart shell.
7. Reduce the heat of the oven to 350°F and bake the tart until the filling is puffed and set yet still retains a slight jiggle, about 36–42 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. (The tart can be chilled or served at room temperature.)
8. To serve, remove the tart from the pan and transfer to a serving plate. Serve slices with generous dollops of lightly sweetened whipped cream, chopped toasted pistachios and an extra drizzle of date syrup.