Butternut Squash Pie

Name: Butternut Squash Pie
Yield: makes one 9- or 10-inch (23- or 25-cm) pie; 8 servings
Ingredients: 2 pounds (1 kg) butternut squash (1 medium or 2 small squashes), halved lengthwise, seeds and strings removed; 1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream; 1/2 cup (125 ml) whole milk; 4 large eggs; 3/4 cup (170 g) packed light or dark brown sugar; 1 teaspoon ground ginger; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg; Pinch of salt; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 1 tablespoon Cognac or brandy; Pie dough, prebaked into a 9- or 10-inch single-crust pie shell (page 230)

December 9, 2011

Growing up in New England, I stayed as far away from pumpkin pie as possible. I did whatever I could to keep my distance from those dubious wedges of orangey-brown filling. For some reason, I just couldn’t bring myself to try it. But when I did, later in my life, I mourned for all those opportunities I missed. (I wouldn’t eat lobster either, which was cheap and plentiful back then. Talk about regrets!) One thing I don’t regret, though, is trying butternut squash in place of pumpkin in my pie. The cooked squash is naturally sweeter and thicker than pumpkin, and makes for a silkier pie. Note that in this recipe, the filling is added while still warm to the prebaked pie shell. This reduces the baking time for the pie and eliminates the problem of the crust burning while the filling bakes. You can make the filling in advance, but be sure to rewarm it gently before pouring it into the crust.

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