New England Butternut Squash Recipes

Steps:

• Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds. Place cut side down in a microwave-safe dish; add 1/2"-inch of water. Cover and microwave on HIGH for 15-20 minutes or until very tender; drain.
• When cool enough to handle, scoop out pulp and mash. Stir in the butter, syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Warm the squash in a microwave oven or in a pot on top of the stove. Place it in a blender or mixing bowl with the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, and spices and whirl, or whisk by hand, until smooth.
• Place the pie shell on a baking tray and pour the filling into it. (Purchased pie crusts vary in depth, so if you have too much filling for your crust, put the extra in a custard cup or ramekin and follow the directions in the note below.)
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the the filling is set but there is still a little jiggle in the center. Cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.
• Good frozen pie shells, including wheat-free ones, are available in natural foods stores and large supermarkets.
• For custard instead of pie, bake the filling in unbuttered custard cups set in a hot water bath. Depending on the size of your cups, this recipe will make 4 to 8 custards. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until just set. Cool at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Make the crust: Combine flour and salt in food processor bowl, and pulse. Remove lid, scatter vegetable shortening and butter over surface, and pulse 5 or 6 times.
• Combine beaten egg and 3 tablespoons ice water. Pulse liquid into dry ingredients, continuing until mixture is evenly moist and dough looks curdy, about 10 seconds. Turn onto work surface, and press firmly into disk, adding drops of water if dough feels dry. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 minutes or overnight.
• Roll dough into 15-inch round on lightly floured surface, about 1/8 inch thick, and fit into shallow 9-inch pie pan. Trim and crimp edges, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour. Meanwhile, place large pizza stone on lowest rack in oven, and heat at 425 degrees for 1 hour. (If you don't have a pizza stone, you can go without. It can help prevent a soggy bottom crust.)
• Line chilled pie pan with aluminum foil and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake on pizza stone for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake until crust dries out and crimped edges begin to color, 3 to 5 minutes. Lower oven heat to 300 degrees.
• While crust bakes, prepare filling: Combine eggs, vanilla, sugars, salt and spices in food processor, and process until smooth. Add squash purée, and process until smooth. With machine running, pour in heavy cream, and process to combine.
• Scrape filling into hot prebaked shell, and bake on pizza stone for 20 minutes. Turn the oven up to 325 degrees and continue baking for another 20 to 25 minutes until filling is set two-thirds of the way in from the perimeter and the center still jiggles, about 40 to 45 minutes total (custard will continue to cook after pie is removed from oven). Tent edges loosely with foil if browning too quickly.
• Meanwhile, prepare the candied squash and ginger relish, if using: Combine squash, lemon peel, lemon juice, sugar and salt in small bowl, and stir well. Macerate 30 minutes. Turn into small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until tender and liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. Add ginger and mix well.
• Remove pie from oven, and cool to room temperature on rack. Garnish with whipped cream and the relish, if desired.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put squash cubes in a shallow, wide baking dish. Season with salt and pepper and toss with hands to coat. Pour water in, to a depth of about 1 inch. Dot surface with butter and cover dish tightly with foil.
• Bake, covered, until squash is tender, about 1 hour. Crush squash to a rough consistency with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Stir to incorporate cooking juices and check seasoning. May be prepared ahead and reheated.