Kabocha Squash Pie With Spiced Crust Recipes

PUMPKIN PIE WITH SPICED CRUST

Steps:

• Make the crust: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg and allspice in a food processor to combine. Add the butter; pulse several times until it looks like coarse meal. Add the vinegar and 1/4 cup ice water; pulse a few more times until the dough comes together and forms a ball. Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap; press into a disk and wrap. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Roll out the dough into a 12-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Ease into a 9-inch pie plate, pressing the dough into the bottom and up the side. Fold the overhanging dough under itself and crimp with your fingers or a fork. Freeze until firm, about 1 hour.
• Put a baking sheet on the middle oven rack and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line the crust with foil, then fill with pie weights or dried beans. Transfer to the hot baking sheet and bake until lightly golden around the edge, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and weights and continue baking until the crust is golden all over, about 10 more minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely; leave the baking sheet in the oven.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Whisk the pumpkin puree, eggs, heavy cream, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg, allspice and salt in a medium bowl until well combined. Pour into the cooled crust and return to the hot baking sheet in the oven. Bake until set around the edge but the center still jiggles slightly, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer to the rack and let cool completely.
• Make the whipped cream: Beat the heavy cream, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, 2 to 3 minutes. Serve the pie with the whipped cream.

SPICED KABOCHA SQUASH PIE WITH PUMPKIN-SEED CRUMBLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400°F with 1 rack on the bottom rung and 1 rack in the center of oven. Place 1 rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack to preheat.
• Make the pie dough:
• In the bowl of a food processor, pulse 1 1/4 cups flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and shortening and pulse until coarse, pea-sized crumbs form, about 10 seconds. With the machine running, add 2 tablespoons ice water and process until the dough just holds together, about 30 seconds. Squeeze a small amount of dough between your fingers: If it is very crumbly, add pulse in more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time (2 tablespoons maximum). Do not over process.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and push together into a rough ball. Knead a few times to combine, then flatten into a disc with smooth edges (no cracks), cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
• Roast the squash:
• Meanwhile, cut the squash in half horizontally. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Place the squash, cut-side down, on a rimmed baking sheet and add a splash of water to the pan. Bake in center of oven until the squash flesh is easily pierced with a knife, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool. Reduce the oven to 375°F.
• Roll out the dough:
• Meanwhile, roll out the dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough loosely around the rolling pin then unfurl it into the 9-inch pie pan. Lightly press it into the pan. Leave 1 inch of dough hanging over the edge, trimming any excess dough. Tuck the dough under itself, then crimp the edge as desired. Chill at least 30 minutes.
• Make the crumble topping:
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder to combine. Add the butter and massage with your fingertips until the mixture becomes clumpy and moist. Add the pumpkin seeds and mix until incorporated. Chill at least 30 minutes.
• Fill the pie and bake:
• When the squash is cool enough to handle, scoop out enough flesh to measure 2 1/4 cups and place in a blender. (Discard the skins and reserve extra squash flesh for another use.) Add cream, sugar, molasses, eggs, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt to the blender. Puree until filling is smooth and creamy.
• Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell (do not overfill) and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the top with the crumble mixture. Place on preheated rimmed baking sheet on bottom rung of oven. After 30 minutes, rotate baking sheet and move to center rung of oven. Bake until the filling is set and the crumble topping is golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes more. (Cover the crust edge with foil or a pie shield if it starts to brown too much.) Transfer pie to a wire rack and cool completely, about 3 hours. Pie will keep up to 2 days, loosely covered with foil, at room temperature.

KABOCHA SQUASH PIE WITH SPICED CRUST

Steps:

• For the squash: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Put the squash on a sheet tray, toss lightly with olive oil and toss in the oven. Roast the squash until a fork slides in and out easily, about 45 minutes. Remove the squash from the oven and let cool. Remove the skin and puree until smooth. Place 3 cups squash puree in a large mixing bowl, reserve the rest for another purpose.
• For the crust: In the bowl of a food processor combine all the flour, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Toss in the butter and pulse until the mixture looks like grated parmigiano. Add in the egg yolk and a few drops of the ice water. Pulse until the mixture starts to come together into a ball. Add a few more drops of water if the mixture still seems dry.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work board. Using the heels of your hand, schmear the dough straight forward and roll it back with your fingertips. Repeat this process two more times. Form the dough into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
• Remove the dough from the fridge and let warm up for 5 minutes. Roll the dough out into a large circle and lay in a deep pie dish. Trim the dough all the way around so there is only 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the dough under and crimp the edges decoratively. Make sure the edges don't extend beyond the pie plate rim. Prick the dough all over with a fork. Lay aluminum foil over the dough to cover and fill the pie plate with baking beans.
• Place the pie plate on a sheet tray and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and baking beans and bake for 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• Reduce the heat in the oven to 350 degrees F.
• For the filling: In a small bowl, beat the eggs until they are smooth. Beat in the cream. Add the cream/egg mixture to the squash puree and beat to combine. Beat in the condensed milk, brown sugar, bourbon if using and vanilla. Beat until the mixture is well combined, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Pour the squash mixture into the prepared pie shell. Place on the sheet tray and place back into the oven for 25 minutes. Rotate the pie and bake until the mixture barely jiggles when shaken, another 20 to 25 minutes. If the crust starts to get too dark, place a pie shield ring on the pie to protect the edges from burning.
• Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for at least 1 hour before cutting.
• Whip heavy cream with a pinch of cinnamon until stiff peaks, and top the pie as a garnish.