Squash Pie

Hey my little foodies!

Today I've prepared a squash pie for you, but in an ultra indulgent version!

I tasted this pie for the first time at Thanksgiving, 6 years ago during a trip to Florida. And I must admit that ever since, every year in autumn I look forward to making it again. A real treat!

It's a nice change from our Swiss recipes. On top of that, we add a little crumble on top that makes all the difference!

A shortcrust pastry, squash filling and a little almond/oat crumble on top.

Here are the ingredients needed for a 28 cm pie:

Shortcrust pastry

- 300gr of flour

- 8gr of sugar

- 4.5gr of salt

- 150gr of butter

- 112gr of water

Crumble

- 90gr of oat flakes

- 130gr of brown sugar

- 65gr of almond flour

- 2 tsp of flour

- 1/2 tsp of cinnamon

- 60gr of butter at room temperature

Squash filling

- 160gr of brown sugar

- 400gr of squash purée

- 300gr of heavy cream

- 2 eggs

- 1/2 tsp of salt

- 3 tsp of speculoos flavouring

We'll start by cooking our squash to get the 400gr of purée needed for the recipe. I used a 900gr butternut squash. It's a squash with a nice thick flesh and that's exactly what we need.

Start by peeling, then cutting your squash into small cubes so it cooks more quickly.

Then pour the squash cubes into a small saucepan and add 150ml of water.

Let your squash cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes with the lid on.

Be careful not to add too much water. We need a nice thick squash purée. 150ml of water should be enough if you use a small enough saucepan and keep the lid on properly.

After 15 minutes, your squash will be tender and can be broken up with a simple spatula.

Blend your squash without adding anything to it.

There you go, the purée is ready. We'll set it aside while we prepare the shortcrust pastry.

Shortcrust pastry

Start by mixing all the dry ingredients together with a spatula. That is 300gr of flour, 8gr of sugar and 4.5gr of salt.

Weigh your salt with a scale spoon to make sure you have the right amount of salt.

Then add 150gr of butter, cut into pieces and mix with the paddle attachment (K beater) for 2 minutes. You will get a texture close to crumble.

Finally, add 112gr of water and mix as little as possible. That means 1 to 2 minutes maximum, just until a dough forms. In the first photo you can see that the dough is not 100% mixed. That's exactly the consistency we want.

Finish kneading by hand. This way, the dough will be kneaded as little as possible but will be well mixed.

If you mix it too much in the stand mixer, your dough will be very elastic, will shrink when you roll it out and may bubble more during baking.

There you go, the dough is ready. Place cling film over your dough and put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, to allow the butter to cool down.

Crumble

While our shortcrust pastry is cooling, we'll prepare the crumble.

With a spatula or spoon, start by mixing all the dry ingredients together. That is 90gr of oat flakes, 130gr of brown sugar, 65gr of almond flour (personally I always use the one from Scrapcooking), 1/2 tsp of cinnamon and 2 tsp of flour.

Then add 60gr of butter at room temperature and mix with the paddle attachment.

You will get a crumble-like mixture. Set it aside, we'll use it later.

Squash filling

All that's left is the squash filling!

Nothing could be simpler... Just mix all the ingredients together, whisk everything and it's ready.

Start by pouring into a bowl 300gr of heavy cream, 160gr of brown sugar, 400gr of squash purée, 1/2 tsp of salt, and 3 tsp of speculoos flavouring.

A few years ago, I used to make my own spice blend (nutmeg, cinnamon...etc...) but I find that the speculoos flavouring is perfect and much more practical. :o)

Once the first four ingredients are mixed, add 2 eggs and whisk everything together.

This way the flavours will be well distributed throughout the whole mixture. :o)

The filling is ready. Set it aside while we roll out our shortcrust pastry.

Our shortcrust pastry should now be cold enough to roll out.

You will need a large rolling pin, dough thickness strips and a 28 cm perforated tart tin.

I'm a huge fan of my perforated tart tin! I put my dough in it without baking paper and the result is amazing! You'll see! Nothing sticks, the baking is more even and above all, the pastry is nice and crispy! I also use this tart tin for my quiches... I love it!

Place your shortcrust pastry on a sheet of baking paper, then cover your dough with cling film.

It is much easier to roll out a dough this way than between two sheets of baking paper or without anything.

I use my dough thickness strips so that my pastry is the same thickness everywhere. I started with 5 mm but after rolling out my dough, I found it was too thick. So I went with my 3 mm strips.

Place your thickness strips on either side of your dough, then use your rolling pin to roll out the dough into a circle.

To get a nice round shape, I rotate my baking paper very often and roll the dough from each side. That way, I get a nice circle and not a rectangle.

The dough is ready but if we line the tin now, it might stick to your fingers and/or break in some places.

So place a board under your dough and put it in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Once the 10 minutes are up, take your shortcrust pastry out.

Then place your dough in your perforated tin and press it into the tin with your fingers.

Once the dough is well pressed into the tin, carefully trim the excess with a knife.

This way your tart base will look beautiful and very even.

Next, dock the pastry so it doesn't create large bubbles during baking. For this, use a dough docker and generously dock your entire tart.

There! You now need to put your tart back in the freezer for 10 minutes. Why? The dough will be nice and firm and the sides of your tart won't collapse during baking. For a perfect result, you need to freeze it for 10 minutes.

Preheat your oven to 220°C, fan-assisted during this time.

10 minutes have passed... It's time to finish the tart.

Whisk your squash filling again, then pour the mixture into your tart tin.

Bake your tart for 15 minutes at 220°C, then lower the temperature to 180°C and bake for 45 minutes.

Once the baking time is up, take your tart out of the oven for a few seconds to add the crumble.

Spread the crumble lightly so it covers the whole surface, then put your tart back in the oven for an additional 20 minutes.

Tadaaa! Here is a squash pie, American style!

The tart seemed enormous to me! Well, that was before realising that my husband must have eaten at least half of it all by himself...

The tart is best eaten once cooled, or even cold if possible.

Enjoy, foodies!

Karin

P.S.: The equipment used can be found at the bottom of the recipe