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Winter Squash PIe

Aimee's Winter Squash Pie

This autumn pie is the perfect way to use all the alternatives to pumpkin!  Spices and maple syrup make this custard pie the perfect ending to any harvest meal.  Or for breakfast!

Course Dessert
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 8

Ingredients

  • 1 recipe of my Perfect Pie Crust recipe (see archives or link in Recipe Notes below)
  • 4 medium eggs
  • Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean , or 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 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 1/4 cups pumpkin or winter squash purée (see Notes below)
  • 2/3 cup pure maple syrup
  • 1 cup heavy (35%) cream
  • egg wash (1 egg mixed with a bit of water)
  • 1-2 tbsp of raw or turbinado sugar
  • Sweetened whipped cream for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375F (190C)
  2. Roll out 2/3 of the pie pastry and line a 9 inch pie plate. Crimp as desired. Chill till needed
  3. Roll the other 1/3 of the pie pastry to almost as thin as your pie crust. Cut out shapes as desired. Place these on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate till needed.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs till frothy. Add the vanilla, spices, and salt. Whisk till well blended.
  5. Add the squash purée and maple syrup. Whisk well. Finally, stir in the cream.
  6. 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.
  7. 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 fill one 4 inch ramekin)
  8. Bake on the middle rack. Bake for 50-60 minutes, rotating the pie after about 30 minutes to ensure even browning of the crust.
  9. When the centre of the pie jiggles only slightly, when the baking sheet is moved, the pie is ready.
  10. Cool on a wire rack.
  11. While the pie is baking, remove the chilled 'cookies' from the fridge.
  12. Brush each with a bit of egg wash, and sprinkle with raw or turbinado sugar.
  13. Bake at 375F till golden, about 15-20 minutes. Remove and cool on the rack for about 5 minutes.
  14. Place the cooled cookies onto the set custard in a pattern appealing to you.
  15. 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 or squash in half, remove any seeds and 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 tbsp 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.

If you think that your purée may be a bit runnier than desired, then reduce the cream to 2/3-3/4 cup.

Recipe adapted from The Simple Bites Kitchen by Aimee Wimbush-Bourque