Squash Pies!
Each pie needs a crust, of course, but I am not going to give pie crust instructions. Use whatever kind of crust you prefer or look up a recipe.
The first pie is a recipe that I have developed over many years because I wanted a 'pumpkin pie' style butternut pie that did not use sweetened condensed milk, not that sweetened condensed milk is terrible or anything, but I like the idea of not using it. It seems more old-fashioned to me. This pie can also be made with sweet potato or pumpkin. I blend everything in the blender, but you could blend it by hand in a bowl. This recipe is pretty rich. If you want a leaner pie, you could reduce some of the rich ingredients and increase the squash slightly.
Blend everything and pour into crust. Bake at 350 for a little over an hour, until the center has firmed.
3 cups cooked butternut squash
2 eggs
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup melted butter
a little less than 1 cup of sweetener*
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
*you can use sugar or an alternative sweetener. Sometimes I use half sugar half maple. If your alternative sweetener is liquid, reduce your other liquids a little or use just the yolk instead of the whole egg.
I use baked/roasted squash. The flavor is more concentrated. If you steam the squash, it is much wetter and will make the pie too liquidy. I have a pretty large pie pan. If your pie pan is on the smaller side, this could be more filling than will fit. I have also baked the filling in custard cups with no crust at all...
These were requested by Leland for his 5th birthday which was on Thanksgiving: Individual squash pies!
Savory Squash Pie
I took the sweet pie template and converted it to savory: no sugar, no vanilla, no nutmeg or cinnamon. Actually, just a pinch of nutmeg is good... Again, for a leaner pie, reduce the cream and butter. Blend this base and add a little salt. Add any combination of cooked vegetables to the crust shell: onions, garlic, chiles, kale, chard or leeks... you can add cheese and any herbs or spices that you like. It's sort of like a quiche, but instead of an egg matrix you are using the squash blend. Pour the squash mixture over the veggies, jiggle it around a little and bake it at 375 for about an hour/ an hour and a quarter.