Go figure. Pumpkin pie is best when it's, well, not made with pumpkin, according to Melissa Clark. She tested a bunch of pumpkin and squash varieties to determine which one would provide the freshest, sweetest flavor. And the winner is...
Butternut squash!
Melissa said that butternut squash 'pumpkin' pie was "deep and richly flavored, sweet, with relatively smooth flesh that is easy to purée." Additionally, it was "so very easy to work with" because the skin easily slips off with a peeler. The runner-up was acorn squash, which created a "honeyed, moist, not too fibrous, very nice" pie. But butternut was still the winner!
See the notes from all 9 of her squash tests below, and then tell us: will you be forgoing the canned pumpkin this year and trying out a new squash instead?
→ Read more: The Squash You Should Use in Pumpkin Pie at NYT's Diner's Journal
Related: Family Recipe: My Dad's Legendary Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
(Image: Faith Durand)
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I was cutting up and roasting a butternut squash yesterday and I noticed how beautifully orange it was and how much sweeter they are than pumpkins. Maybe next year I'll do it for thanksgiving and not tell anyone ;)
I love butternut squash pie. There's an amazing bakery near me that makes it with a gingerbread crust. They've actually changed their recipe a bit, and I liked their earlier version a bit more (sniff sniff). Truly one of the best things I've EVER eaten.
That's great news as pumpkins and definitely canned pumpkin purée are impossible to find over here. Butternut squash, on the other hand, are plentiful! Will be making up some butternut purée to use in baked goods etc on this recommendation.
I recently made a "pumpkin" pie with a kabocha squash, which was the third-place winner in the NYT article. However, mine was an orange kabocha instead of the a green kabocha like they used. I have read that orange kabochas are more moist and sweet than the green variety. Plus, they are less stringy than a pumpkin, and the puree doesn't need to be strained. The kabocha pie was fantastic! Here's the recipe.
this is typically what i use because i always have one around this time of year. i roast em then puree then pan fry to remove any excess moisture. it makes delicious pie.
I'm using butternut in my pies this year, but I'm not telling anyone about it. They will all think it's an exceptionally good pumpkin pie from scratch. With gingersnap crust. Yummy.
I'm sorry I have to be pedantic here. The best PUMPKIN pie is made with PUMPKIN. The best SQUASH pie would be made with some variety of SQUASH. That said I still appreciate this article and will enjoy experimenting with squash pies this year :)
I made a butternut squash pie one day after I roasted a b-nut squash with curry powder & olive oil and blended it with sour cream. The mixture was too thick for soup but I added a little brown sugar, dumped it into a pie shell and baked it.
That sounds delicious!
What a great teaser.. I HAD to click!!
Ciao,
L
@urgan on the other hand, The Kitchn has previously reported that it's not clear canned pumpkin is actually pumpkin either, so most pumpkin pies are probably squash pies anyway :-) http://www.thekitchn.com/pumpkin-pie-filling-what-is-it-69123
What's up with people distinguishing between "pumpkin" and "squash" ? Last time I checked pumpkin was just another variety of squash... so they're all squash pies.
Just saying...
Canned pumpkin is mostly butternut squash. Or so I read last year. When I make pumpkin custard (pie without the crust) I like to use long-roasted sugar pie pumpkins. They taste more pumpkin-y to me, which I like.
i just made a pie with a Long Island Cheese Pumpkin, smooth as silk!