Squash Pie

A delicious alternative to pumpkin. I prefer to use a buttercup squash, but I'm sure your favourite squash will work nicely. This recipe seems very liquid-y when you pour it into the shell, but I assure you, it firms right up. Found this recipe on allrecipes.com

To mash the squash, you'll find it easiest to cut the squash in half lengthwise, place the halves flesh-side-up on a cookie sheet, and bake in the oven at about 350 F for an hour, or until soft and scoopable. Cool them a little, scoop as much flesh as you can possibly get out into a bowl, and mash or puree the flesh. This mash is very easily frozen in a tupperware container, so you can mash your squash in advance. This method also works for pumpkins or any other fleshy gourd.

2 x 9-inch pie shells
1 c. brown sugar
1 tsp. each cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger (fresh or powdered)
1 pinch salt
1 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 c. hot milk
2 lbs. mashed squash (one small squash will yield the right amount)
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 425 F. Mix sugar and salt with spices. Blend in milk, squash, eggs, and butter. At this point, I like to grab my hand-blender and puree this entire mixture so that the pie is velvety-smooth. Pour the filling into unbaked pie shells. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a knife comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, or maple syrup.

Do not underbake this pie, or it will turn out mushy. When the pie comes out of the oven, it should be completely set up and firm.

I found that I could easily make tartlets out of this by rolling a pie pastry, and lining two muffin tins with pie crust. They tasted excellent and they were very easy to freeze as well.