Butternut Squash Pie
- 2 1/2 cups Raw Pumpkin Seeds
- 1/2 cup White Sugar
- 1/2 cup Butter, melted
- Pinch of Sea Salt
- 1 Large Butternut Squash, peeled, halved and seeds removed
- 2 tbsps Butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar, firmly packed
- 2 Eggs
- 2 tsps Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp Ground Allspice
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cloves
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- 2 tbsps White Sugar
- 2 tbsps Your Favourite Bourbon/Spirit
- 1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
- 3 Squash Blossoms, thinly sliced for garnish
Make the Pumpkin Seed Crust
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Turn on the convection fan if you have one.
Measure the pumpkin seeds, white sugar, butter, and salt into a food processor. Grind into coarse crumbs, forming an even dough. Transfer the mixture to a 9 or 10-inch (23 or 25 cm) non-stick pie plate and evenly press across the bottom and up the sides. Top with a similar pie plate and press firmly to form an even pie crust. Perforate the crust with a fork 8 times in an even pattern. (The holes keep it from bubbling and shrinking.) Bake until lightly browned and fragrant, 20 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and reserve until needed. Keep the oven on. Wipe out the food processor.
Make the Butternut Squash Filling and Bake
Place the butternut squash halves cut side up on a baking sheet. Brush with melted butter and bake until soft and lightly browned,1 hour or so. Remove from the oven and rest until cool.
Transfer the baked squash to a food processor and purée until smooth, scraping down the sides once or twice. Add the cream, brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Process until smooth, scraping down the sides once or twice.
Transfer the purée to the pie crust, smoothing the surface evenly. Bake until the filling is firm, 45 minutes or so. Remove fromthe oven and rest until completely cool.
Make the Bourbon Cream
Combine the cream, sugar, bourbon, and vanilla and whip until thick.
Slice the cooled pie and serve with generous dollops of whipped bourbon cream and a scattering of thinly sliced squash blossoms.
Excerpted from Farmhouse Vegetables by Michael Smith. Copyright © 2023 Michael Smith. Photography by Al Douglas. Published by Penguin, an imprint of Penguin Canada, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.
