Monday, September 10, 2012

Crustless Acorn Squash Pie

I made acorn squash pie today, three different times!!! No, I’m not a bad chef, I just started with a bad recipe that called for too much of everything. The first attempt, even after scaling it down carefully, still yielded too much filling. Lesson of the day: a 9-inch pie pan can only hold about 3 cups of filling…good to know…
For my second attempt, I had to go to the store to get another graham cracker pie crust (I know, I should have made my own). I scaled down the proportions of the recipe to have 1 less cup of filling. The problem this time was temperature. The recipe said “bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 350 for 45-50 minutes”. This proved to be the wrong thing for a custard pie. I should have known better; In my defense, I was trying to give the person’s recipe the benefit of the doubt! So the outcome…a pie with lots of cracks in the center.
For the third attempt, I was out of time and patience. I did not want to go back to the store and I also did not have a 9-inch pie pan (only a 10-inch). If I used the larger pan, the time would be affected and that was exactly what I was trying to measure. So, I transferred one of the cooled pies to my larger pie plate and decided to go CRUSTLESS!!! So third time is a charm! I baked it at a lower temperature for a longer time! So here is final version, using almond milk instead of cream (like it originally called for).

Crustless Acorn Squash Pie

1 large or 2 small acorn squash
2 tsp. cinnamon, divided
½ cup honey, divided
 2 eggs
¼ cup almond milk
½ tsp. ginger
½ tsp. kosher salt
 Pinch of nutmeg
Stevia to taste if desired


Preheat oven to 350F. Cut squash in half and scrape out seeds.
Place on a baking pan and sprinkle with 1 tsp. cinnamon and drizzle with 1 tablespoon honey. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45-55 minutes or until fork tender. Remove from oven and cool.
Scrape out flesh, reserving 1 ¾ cups for pie.
Place squash, remaining cinnamon and honey, eggs, milk, spices and salt in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth and adjust sweetness with Stevia if desired.
Coat a 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray and place on a baking pan (easier to handle); pour mixture into pan. Bake for about 45 minutes, until center is set.



Acorn Squash #1-Beautiful, but had an extra cup of filling left!
Acorn Squagh Pie #2: Notice the cracking? 



Acorn Squash Pie #3-Crustless, leaner and no cracking! Still a little warm and gooey, but I could not wait to slice it up so I can finally sit with it (and eat it)!


8 comments:

  1. Looks so delicious!! And crustless?? That's right up my alley. I'm pinning this one!

    Do you have one of those light boxes? Just curious how your photos always look so great.

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    1. Thanks Gina! I sort of made my own light box lol. I use a tri fold poster and drape a white/off-white table cloth over it. I also have a couple desk lamps around it:)

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  2. This looks amazing. I can't wait to try it!

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  3. All your recipes are amazing Jackie! Made your pumpkin protein bars last weekend (but with Stevia), and gonna make this beauty tomorrow. You've got me so excited for fall baking! :D

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    1. Thank you! I love fall baking too:) let me know how your pie turns out!

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  4. We just had Acorn squash tonight and I have a Graham cracker crust. Wish I had known then about this recipe! Will be sure to try very soon.

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