Got a Lot of Free Time and Need a Way to Use Up Some Squash? Butternut Squash Pie is Here For You.

I found myself with 4 varieties of squash sitting in my squash bowl, so I was trying to think of an interesting way to use some of them up. I thought "What if I made a pumpkin pie, but instead of pumpkin, I use butternut squash?" And I really thought I had come up with something brilliant and new. So, of course, I googled it to verify that I had invented a new pie and, of course the pie already existed. I picked this recipe to try:

http://events.nytimes.com/recipes/8477/2004/11/24/Butternut-Squash-Pie/recipe.html

I started by splitting and seeding my squash and placing it in a 350 degree oven to roast.

On to the pie crust. I don't own a food processor, so I did a few things a little differently than the recipe directed. I had to make mine old school which means I had to get out the pastry blender and do a little upper arm work out.

After the butter and shortening were incorporated, I added some egg and ice water to bind it together. I have never used egg in a pie crust. When it all pulled together, I saran wrapped it, and chilled it in the fridge.

Hmm the squash roasted up nicely. The kitchen had a nice fall harvest smell about it.

This was fun. Picking up the hot squash and scooping out the flesh from the skin. And then again, because I don't have a food processor, I kind of mashed it up with a fork a little bit. Then I put it in the fridge to cool it down.

The crust was in the fridge for about 30 minutes when I pulled it out to roll it. Now, I have many good qualities and talents. Pie crust rolling ISN'T one of them. Still, it turned out not half bad if I do say so myself. And it goes back to the fridge to chill some more.

While the crust chilled again, I started on the filling. Some sugar, eggs, spices, cayenne pepper (whooooohoooooo) and my squash. I mixed it up in the kitchen aid. I added the cream and for good measure (since I wasn't using the food processor again) I whirled it up with my immersion blender just to make sure there wouldn't be any weird chunks. I put this in the fridge and grabbed the pie crust.

Time for some blind baking. I lined the crust with foil and filled it with dried beans.

After the crust was partially baked, I put the filling in the pie shell and returned it to the oven.

I cooled it on a rack for a while and transferred it to the fridge before I went to bed.

Hmm, that fluting didn't turn out so well once it baked up.

No squash pie would be complete without a little whipped cream. So a little cream, a little powdered sugar and whip it. Whip it good.

And the finished product. A little Butternut Squash Pie for Breakfast. This pie was a lot of work, but it was REALLY good. It might be good for pulling an old switcheroo at Thanksgiving to see if anyone notices that its not pumpkin pie. (The Captain said it was better than pumpkin pie. Go figure, its about 4 times the work of my normal pumpkin pie recipe.)