This is a play on pumpkin pie baked with what was on hand but now I am head over heals and not turning back. Besides, acorn squash are easier to find that sugar pie pumpkins and it is fun to search your taste buds for that subtle difference. The spices still resemble pumpkin pie so the untrained may not even notice. I used dried apricots but they could probably be omitted all together if you didn’t have on hand. I just happened to have a lot that needed consuming. Next time I might macerate them in bourbon before whirling into the filling. This recipe is a mishmash of Martha Stewart’s version, one from food.com and my taste buds. 🙂

Feel free to make the pie crust from scratch using your favorite recipe. I just don’t enjoy making crust and found a great premade frozen one from a local bakery.

Ingredients:

• One 3pound acorn squash
• 4 eggs, if super large eggs, just use 3
• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1/3 cup brown sugar (or granulated)
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 pie crust

Instructions

• Prep the acorn squash. You could cut in half, remove the seeds and guts in the middle and roast at 425 for 20 minutes or so until soft enough to scoop out. Or cut it up into large chunks and steam for 20 minutes and then scrape the flesh out. Either way, you need to precook it enough to be soft. If you have time, let the squash cool a bit. In a future step you add eggs and you don’t want to cook them! If you want to save the seeds , clean them and then roast them for 10 minutes so, they are a tasty treat.
• Place the dried apricots in the food processor or blender with milk and blend into a paste of some sorts
• Add the prepped squash into a food processor and whirl it away until smooth. Let it blend for while to make it smooth.
• Add the vanilla extract, sugar, spices, salt and keep blending. It should be getting nice and smooth.
• Add the eggs, blend until mixed nicely.

• Pour into the pie shell.  Fill the shell up almost to the top. This pie will puff up when baking (see photo) and then shrink back down.

• Bake in a 425 F oven for 40 minutes. It will probably not seem all the way done but it will keep cooking while cooling.
• Serve with ice cream, whipped cream if you like.

This recipe makes more than one pie shell full (go figure) but it was just enough for a 9 inch pie and two small personal pies baked in glass pyrex bowls. For the ‘crust’ in these mini pies I just buttered the dish and put a layer of thin sliced apple on the bottom. They baked about 30 minutes, so a little faster than the full pie. [yes that is my ratty old green cutting board]

Do you have a favorite squash recipe to share?

Here are a few other of mine:

• Roasted Stuffed Pumpkin Pots
• Easy Pumpkin Cookies with Maple Frosting
• Squash Saute with Basil and Feta
• Zucchini: those who can’t grow, give recipes
• Or you can always paint them!