Caramelized Butternut Squash Pie

For years, my family used canned pumpkin in our pie. When you’re spooning in heaps of ginger powder, cinnamon, clove, and grated ginger, we all thought, it hardly matters whether you use canned mush or a fresh puree—it’s all just a vehicle for ferrying sugar and spices to your mouth.

At some point while flipping through my dog-eared Fannie Farmer Cookbook, I noticed a recipe for winter squash pie. It called for winter squash puree in place of pumpkin puree, heavy cream in place of evaporated milk, and a fat dose of brandy along with the usual spices. I noticed that the proportions of cream to squash were higher than evaporated milk to pumpkin. I hoped this would make for a lighter pie, and I was right. This caramelized butternut squash pie is silky and creamy without being pasty or heavy. Even with the hefty dose of ginger, the flavor is fresher and brighter than its pumpkin kin, but close enough to fool people come Thanksgiving. And the brandy added a warm, sophisticated note.

Years later, when I discovered how easy butternut squash is to peel—the thin skin slips right off with a vegetable peeler—I could imagine tossing cubes of it with butter and sugar and cooking the squash until almost candied, then turning it all into my pie.–Melissa Clark

LC Still Suspicious of a Butternut Squash Pie? Note

Do you really want that humdrum pie from the Libby’s label again? True, this caramelized butternut squash pie recipe requires just a little more time and effort than hauling out a can opener, not to mention a little more open-mindedness. But considering that butternut squash is so easy to find and a cinch to peel (just grab a swivel vegetable peeler and have a go at it), we see it as a worthy investment, one that’s rewarded quite handsomely with a complex dessert that’s wholly unlike that mild and mushy jiggliness that Libby bequeathed to us.

Caramelized Butternut Squash Pie

• Quick Glance
• 35 M
• 2 H, 35 M
• Serves 6 to 8

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Ingredients

Directions

• 1. Place the piecrust dough between 2 sheets of plastic wrap and roll it into a 3/8-inch-thick round. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the dough. Use your thumb and forefinger to flute the edges and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day. (If chilling the dough for more than 2 hours, lightly cover the dough with plastic.)
• 2. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
• 3. Line the crust with foil, fill with pie weights, and place on a baking sheet. Bake until the crust is set, about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and bake until the crust is pale golden, 5 to 10 minutes more. Let cool.
• 4. While the piecrust is baking, prepare the filling. Place the butternut squash on a baking sheet, dot it with the butter, and sprinkle it with the granulated sugar. Roast the butternut squash, stirring every 10 minutes, until it’s fork-tender, 30 to 35 minutes. For a slightly more complex, caramelized flavor, roast the squash until it begins to darken at the edges and is almost candied, 5 to 10 minutes more.
• 5. Puree the butternut squash in a food processor until smooth (you should have about 1 3/4 cups puree; if you have extra, reserve it for another use such as ravioli filling). Add the cream, egg, yolks, brown sugar, brandy or rum, vanilla, ground ginger, grated ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt to the butternut squash and puree until combined. Scrape the filling into the cooled piecrust and smooth the top with a spatula.
• 6. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (163°C). Bake the butternut squash pie until the filling is just set but still jiggles in the middle, 35 to 40 minutes. Let the pie cool completely before slicing.