Kick the can winter squash pie

It’s a little bit homey and a little bit sophisticated—perf for showing off your cooking skills. You’re gonna need to make a pie crust with this. Consult your fave cookbook for a how to (or snag a pre-made one at the grocery store—we won’t tell). This treat was adapted from Claire Fountain, pastry chef, food writer and yoga teacher from Paisley Farm, Tivoli, N.Y. Thanks, Claire!

 Ingredients:

1 medium-size winter squash (Claire likes Buttercups and orange Hubbards; if you go canned, and she’s definitely not recommending that, use unsweetened pumpkin)
4 eggs        
3/4 cup sugar (half white, half brown, packed)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon crushed cloves
Pinch of salt      
1 pie crust

Directions:

1. Slice the squash in half (get mom or dad to help if it’s too tough) Scoop out the seeds. Place each half facedown on a baking sheet lined with parchment  or foil. Bake for 30 to 50 minutes at 385 degrees, until squash feels soft on the outside.

2. After it cools from blistering to merely hot, scrape the meat from the skin with a spoon. Run the squash through a food processor until it look like baby food. Measure 15 ounces — or roughly 2 1/4 cups — for the pie. Go ahead and feed the rest to a baby.

3. Beat the eggs. Add sugar and beat some more. Add heavy cream.

4. Combine the cooked squash purée with the egg batter.

5. Toss the cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt in a bowl.

6. Add the spice mixture to the squash goop. Unless you want a mouthful of cloves, might as well stir again.

8. Pour the filling into the pie crust.

9. Bake the pie at 350 degrees for 35-50 minutes. But don’t overbake. The center should still jiggle.

BY GL ON 12/30/2010 7:00:00 AM

POSTED IN vegetable, sweet treats, healthy recipes