Salted Honeynut Squash Pie

This is just a simple post about the best ‘pumpkin’ pie that I have ever baked!!

I know, it doesn’t sound very humble of me.  But hey, if I didn’t think it was that amazing, why would I bother taking time on a Saturday evening to write out the recipe?  Okay, Jim is out with clients, and I’ve caught up on cleaning etc.  So, I guess it is a productive way to spend some time.  But still, it is Saturday, and I’m not usually sitting at my computer on a Saturday eve voluntarily.

So, back to this pie.  I’ll go out on a limb and say it is the best ‘pumpkin’ pie I have ever tasted.  There, now I really have your attention.  But, I didn’t use canned pumpkin, or fresh roasted pumpkin purée.  I used Honeynut Butternut Squash. 

When I was at the market last week, I came across these adorable little squashes.  I had never used them before. They look like butternut squash, but smaller, and cuter.  They can practically fit in the palm of your hand.  The photo above may be a tad deceiving.  Those little squash are sitting next to Lady Apples, which are about 1 inch or so across! And they are waaaay sweeter than your typical squash.  I would even say it is sweeter than a pie pumpkin or kabocha squash.  It roasts up so quickly (did I mention that it is small?) and then becomes whatever you want it to be.  Stuffing for ravioli, check.  Velvety soup, check.  Mac n cheese sauce, check.  And of course pie.  And because of its sweetness, I decided to finish my pie with Maldon salt.  Those glistening diamond flecks are a perfect contrast to the sweet pie filling.

I used a variation of my Winter Spice Pumpkin Pie to create this little wonder.  It is just sooooo easy.  Purée (or canned pumpkin if that is all you have) some eggs, maple syrup, spices and then finally cream.

How to Roast off Squash for Purée: 

Preheat the oven to 400F.  Cut your squash in half and remove the seeds (I use a grapefruit spoon since it has serrated edges and gets through the stringy bits easier).  For a pie, you will need between 2 and 3 honeynut squash (they are small)  You want to have at least 1 1/2 cups when puréed.  Rub a little olive oil all over the inside flesh.  Place the squash halves, cut side down and roast in the oven for about 30 minutes, till a knife easily enters through the skin into the flesh.  Check sooner, as the smaller the squash halves, the quicker it will go.  Let them cool slightly and then scoop out the flesh into a food processor or Vitamix type of blender.  Blend, using a tamper to push down the pulp into the blades.  If you find that the flesh has a hard time getting blended down, add 1 tsp of water.  Try again.  Give it a minute, it will work.  If it just doesn’t move, add a touch more water.  Once completely smooth, you can store the purée in a container in the fridge for a few days, or in freezer safe containers for a couple of months.

Assemble the Pie

Hopefully you have made a stash of my Perfect Pie Pastry recipe, and can quickly grab a round from the freezer.  You really only need one round- for the bottom.  Of course, if you want to add some decorative cut outs on top after it has cooled, you will need some extra pastry, so grab two rounds.

Once thawed, roll out the pastry to fit easily into a 9 inch pie plate.  Chill this till needed.  Prepare your filling.  Oh, by the way, you can easily roast off and purée your squash portion and even freeze till you need it.  Or at least store in the fridge till later in the week, if that is the only time you have to bake a pie.

Fill the pie and bake.  That is it.  Don’t over-bake it. If the outer edges have puffed up, and the middle only jiggles slightly if you move the baking sheet, it’s done.  It will finish cooking and set outside the oven.  If you over-bake it, you run the risk of the filling splitting and pulling away from the the crust edge.  Not the best.  It will taste alright, but it will be a tad rubbery.  When it is out and cooling down on a wire rack, you can create your pastry ‘cookie’ cut outs.  Cut out whatever you desire, place these on a parchment lined baking sheet and let them chill while you wait for the oven to warm up to 375F (or if you are ready, you may not have even turned off the oven yet).  I will say, make more cut outs than you think you will need.  You never know how browned some will get in the oven, and this way you’ll have spare cut outs.

Once the pie is completely chilled, you can place the cooled cut outs wherever you want.  That’s it.  This pie is best served chilled, not at room temperature.  I had baked this one on a Monday afternoon.  By Thursday evening it was gone.  And it was mostly Jim!!  I may have had two small slices.  I wish I had taken more!  Thankfully there is more purée to use.  For another pie!!

So I posted the photos of the mangled last piece of pie, and so many of you asked for the recipe, so here it is!! So happy I could spend my Saturday evening getting it on the blog! hehe. 

*Just remember, that if you can’t find Honeynut Squash, use a good butternut or pie pumpkin.  You will need to up the sweetener though.  Taste before you fill the pie shell.

Love Jen

5 from 2 votes

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Salted Honeynut Squash Pie

The sweetest squash has now become the best, creamiest 'pumpkin' pie. Honey Nut Squash adds its unique sweetness to this filling, and Maldon salt is the perfect finish to balance it all out.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword autumn, honeynut squash, pie

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 1 hour

Resting time 4 hours

Servings 8

Ingredients

• 1 recipe of my Perfect Pie Crust recipe see archives or link in Recipe Notes below
• 4 medium eggs
• 1 1/4 cups Honeynut butternut squash purée see Notes below
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp golden brown sugar
• 1 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot starch or a bit more, depending on how loose your purée is
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup go up to 2/3 cup if you are using a different squash purée
• 1 cup heavy 35%-40% cream
• egg wash 1 egg mixed with a bit of water
• 1-2 tbsp of raw or turbinado sugar
• 1 tsp Maldon Sea Salt for finishing
• Sweetened whipped cream for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C)
2. Roll out 1/2 of the pie pastry and line a 9 inch pie plate. Crimp as desired. Chill till needed
3. Roll the other 1/2 of the pie pastry to almost as thin (about 1/6 inch thick) as your pie crust. Cut out shapes as desired (cut out more than you need- some may brown too much in the oven). Place these on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate till needed.
4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs till frothy.
5. Add the squash purée and vanilla, and blend well.

6. In a small bowl whisk together the sugar, starch, spices, and salt. Add this to the squash mixture.

7. Add the maple syrup. Whisk well. Finally, stir in the cream.
8. Place the chilled pie shell onto a baking sheet. Run a bit of egg wash along the edges of your crimped pie shell. Sprinkle the edges with a bit of your raw or turbinado sugar.
9. Pour the filling into the pie shell. If there is extra, fill a ramekin dish with the extra and bake alongside the pie till they are set. (I got enough to almost fill one 4 inch ramekin)
10. Bake on the middle rack. Bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating the pie after about 30 minutes to ensure even browning of the crust. Check at 50 minutes, you never know what your oven is like.

11. When the edges are puffed up, and the centre of the pie jiggles only slightly, when the baking sheet is moved, the pie is ready.

12. Finish with a scattering of the salt flakes.

13. Cool on a wire rack.
14. While the pie is baking, remove the chilled 'cookies' from the fridge.
15. Brush each with a bit of egg wash, and sprinkle with raw or turbinado sugar.
16. Bake at 375F till golden, about 15-20 minutes. Remove and cool on the rack for about 30 minutes.
17. Place the cooled cookies onto the cooled set custard in a pattern appealing to you.
18. Once the pie is at room temperature, you can cover it loosely with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge till ready to serve.

Recipe Notes

Perfect Pie Pastry recipe.

To roast your own pumpkin, squash (or yam, as in my first attempt!): Simply cut the gourd(s) or squash(s) in half, remove any seeds, and rub olive oil into it. Place them cut side down onto a baking sheet. Roast in a 400F oven till soft. Scoop out the flesh and purée till smooth. Depending on how dry the squash is, you may need to add 1 tsp or so of water. But don't be in a rush to add too much water. You would rather have a firmer purée than too loose. Feel free to make the purée in advance, even the day before. and store in a sealed container in the fridge till needed.  For this pie, expect to roast off 2-3 honey nut squash.