Butternut Squash Pie

BUTTERNUT SQUASH PIE: A FAMILY RECIPE

We cultivated many gorgeous butternut squashes in our garden this year, so I decided to make a pie with some of the squash I harvested. If you prefer fresh squash puree over canned, this is a fantastic substitute (which is often also butternut squash).

Fresh puree, in my opinion, yields a superior pie filling. It’s bright orange, sweet, and smoother than typical pumpkin puree.

Just peel and cut up butternut squash into huge bits, then steam it until it’s incredibly mushy. After that, you have to do is purée it in a blender or food processor.

I prefer to serve my butternut squash pie with a dollop of vanilla ice cream, but you can also do it with cinnamon whipped cream (see our other recent Pumpkin Tres Leches Cake recipe to learn how to prepare it).

INGREDIENTS:

PIE FILLING:

• 2 cups of pureed butternut squash(about 900g)
• 14 oz. of sweetened condensed milk (400g)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. of ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. of ground ginger
• ¼ tsp. of ground nutmeg
• ⅛ tsp. of ground cloves
• ⅛ tsp. of freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp. of salt

CRUST:

• 1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour (unbleached)
• 1 tbsp. of sugar
• 1/4 tsp. of salt
• 1 stick of cold unsalted butter (115g, cut into small cubes)
• 3 tbsp. of ice water
• 1 egg (beaten with 1 tablespoon water)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Make sure your oven is preheated at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine the squash puree, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices, and salt in a large bowl. Dispose of.
2. Your pie dough needs to be ready. In a large mixing basin, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt until well combined. To make coarse crumbs, cut the butter cubes into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or two butter knives. Using a fork, mix the water until the dough forms a ball.
3. Squish the dough into a ball on a lightly floured work surface. To make a 12-inch circle, flatten it into a disk and roll it out with a lightly floured rolling pin. The dough should be laid out in a 9-inch pie dish.
4. The filling should be well-combined, so whisk it together one more time before pouring it into the pie shell you’ve already prepared. Brush the crust’s edges with the egg wash mixture.
5. Then drop the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 15 minutes. A butter knife inserted into the outside edges of the cake should come out clean in about 35 minutes.