Spiced Squash Pie (aka Pumpkin Pie)

There are a couple of things I like about this recipe: it can be dairy-free and still taste just the way I expect it to, it can put up with any kind of squash I have on hand, and it uses so many lovely and exotic spices, that also happen to be really fragrant (thereby spreading the most wonderful aroma through the house). One more thing - the crust stays crunchy.

I have a new pie crust recipe that goes great with this squash pie filling. I add a mixture of ground hazelnuts with ground blanched almond flour. It has a balance of soft and crunchy texture, perfect for moist fillings.

This pie filling also tastes good without a crust - it's kind of like a custard pumpkin quiche when baked without the crust.

Cooking the squash: Slice the squash in half (from stem to bottom), take out the seeds (and make toasted seeds), and then roast it for about 1 hour, face down, in some water that covers the bottom of the dish. I imagine you could also steam cut up pieces of squash. Cool the squash, peel the skin off, and puree it in a blender or food processor.

Pie filling

• 2 cups of cooked squash (sugar pumpkin or other orange squash; in a pinch you can use canned or frozen squash)
• 1/2 cup of coconut, almond, or other milk or cream (or substitute another 1/2 cup of cooked squash for a milk or diary-free filling)
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt
• 3/4 cup of honey (or other sweetener)
• 1 tablespoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon of cardamon (optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon of ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon of allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon of cloves

Crust

• 3/4 cup almond flour
• 3/4 cup roasted hazelnuts (ground to crunchy crumbs in my food processor, or use a coffee bean grinder or blender)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (or butter, or other kind of oil)
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon of honey (or other sweetener)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Make the pie crust by combining all the dry ingredients in a bowl, and then blending all the wet ingredients into the mixture with a fork. Press the crust into a pie dish.
2. Bake the crust for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees F.
3. In a separate bowl, combine all the pie filling ingredients and blend well.
4. Place the filling in the cooled pie crust, and bake the pie for about 50 minutes at 350 degrees F.
5. Cool and serve.

Comments

[Tracee]

I love the new "do" (site look). I have had a few requests from family for a pumpkin pie this year. I'll have to give this a try. Does a sugar pumpkin taste sweeter than a regular one?

[Erica]

Tracee, I'm not quite sure. I've only baked sugar pie pumpkins, but I assume they taste better than a regular pumpkin. What I have found is some other types of squash are actually sweeter than sugar pie pumpkin. For example, a type of squash called Sweet Meat, is the sweetest I've tasted so far. It has a greenish-gray skin.

[bobbie]

Thank you so much for posting this recipe!! I tried it today, with huge success. My husband loved it, our six year old son even liked it, and he is NOT a fan of pumpkin. I wasn't able to get a sugar pumpkin, so resorted to raiding the fall decorations off of the porch. I think the biggest difference is water content and stringy. So, I drained it really well and pureed out it to near death in the food processor. And, after the honey, you couldn't tell that it's not one of the sweeter squashes. Thanks again.

[Erica]

Bobbie, so funny - process to death. I like that saying (I'll be using that technique in future posts :)

Glad it worked out. Happy Holidays!

[Danielle]

Thank you so much for your blog! I'm an avid cook and just started the SCD diet 2 months ago. The recipes in the book weren't cutting it so I've been experimenting myself a bit. Question about the pumpkin pie- the BTVC book says no canned products. Do you use canned coconut milk or make your own?

Thanks!!

[Erica]

Danielle - we meet again :)

So the story with us, at the moment, is that I avoid using canned coconut milk because of the gum additives. Too bad because it makes great ice cream (I used it all summer). Fresh is best of course, but hard and time consuming to make. You can re-constitute it from some products - Tropical Traditions has a product - coconut cream, or some stores carry solidified coconut cream that you can add water to. Or, just don't use the milk - the pie tastes great even without the milk. Almond milk is another good alternative.

[Alan]

I know this is late, but just to let you know, a regular pumpkin, the kind most stores sell around Halloween for carving, aren't very good for eating at all. They're stringy, watery and lack flavor. If you're cooking with pumpkin, stick with the sugar type. I found out from nasty, watery, disappointing experience. :)