WINTER SQUASH PIE
Ingredients:
1 ¾ cup butternut squash, cheese squash or sugar pumpkin puree
2/3 cup packed brown sugar or maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup whipping, light cream or half & half
1 9 inch pie shell, partially baked and cooled*
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together and beat well.
Pour mixture into pie shell and bake for about 1hour or until the center of the pie is almost set. Cover rim of the pastry with strips of aluminum foil if it becomes too brown
before pie is done.
Transfer pie to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
*baked at 400 degrees F until almost done, not completely browned
N.B. Best to use glass pie dish
DELICATA SQUASH with SHALLOTS and SHERRY*
1 large delicate squash (about 1 ¼ pounds)
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup dry sherry
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup shallots, thinly sliced (2-3 large)
4 teaspoons fresh sage, finely chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Peel the squash, leaving the green areas in the crevices. Trim the ends, cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out and discard the seeds. Slice each half crosswise ½ inch thick.
Over medium-high heat, melt 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil and 1 Tablespoon of the butter in a skillet.. Add the squash in a single layer and cook, without moving it, until the squash begins to brown, about 2 minutes. Reduce the heat if the butter begins to burn. Flip and brown the other side. Transfer the squash to a baking dish and repeat this process until all of the squash is browned. Arrange all of the pieces of squash in the baking dish in a single layer. Sprinkle the squash with 2 Tablespoons of the sherry, salt and a few grinding of black pepper.
Over medium heat, add the remaining olive oil and butter to the skillet. Add the shallots and sprinkle them with a pinch of salt (1/8 teaspoon). Cook shallot, stirring frequently, until they turn a deep golden brown on the edges, about 3-5 minutes. Do not burn them.
Remove the skillet from the heat and immediately add the sage and the remaining 2 Tablespoons of sherry. Gently stir the shallots and sherry together, scraping the browned bits on the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle the shallots and sherry over the squash.
Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake until the squash is tender, about 25-30 minutes. Serves 4.
*Original recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine, November 2008
N.B. Delicata squash’s skin is yellow or cream colored with dark green strips. The skin is thin and edible. Therefore, unlike butternut squash, it does not have a long shelf life. It usually lasts only two weeks at room temperature. Its taste resembles a combination of corn and lemon zest. Its favor intensifies when roasted or sautéed. This squash also can be roasted with root vegetables or steamed and then tossed with balsamic vinegar and toasted pine nuts.
