Conference turris::cooks

    ah yes, the boys do love squash pie don't they?  i had the same
    problem a few months ago.  after hours and hours of checking out
    these notes (if you do a directory/title=squash you'll see that
    their are recipes out there) but never found anything quite right.
    i opted for better crockers recipe in the red and white cookbook
    but threw in a couple of other things that i saw in the some other
    recipes (like spices that she didn't have) and made the crust homemade
    which was surprizingly simple.  in the all the recipes i believe
    its acorn squash that is used.  a flaky crust will be better than
    anything else (although the gingersnap crust i saw somewhere looked
    fabulous.. if only i had the ingrediants that day to make that)
    but do stay with something that needs to be baked because the pie
    itself is in the oven for a while.  (don't do this on a hot day!)
    good luck, hope this helps.
    
    carlajeanne
    

    You can use any "winter" (hard-shelled) squash.  I like blue hubbard,
    myself (ever seen a whole one of those?  They go to 50-60 pounds!  Buy
    a segment of one, unless you own a heavier cleaver than I do.).  Just
    subsitute the cooked squash, drained well, for the cooked pumpkin.
    
    While you're at it, you can treat pumpkin just like winter squash, too
    - I used to like it cut up and baked with apples before we found out
    that my husband is allergic to apples.

    I think that one of the canned pie filling companies makes Pie Squash.
    Personally, I don't like either pumpkin or squash pie, and don't
    notice a taste difference (probably because I don't particularly
    like them!).  You could always cheat first, spicing up the canned
    stuff (I'd hate to see you kill yourself making a scratch pie for
    this guy only to have him say, "It's not as good as mom's!" and
    then find out *she* uses the canned stuff!!!).
    
    BTW, I have never seen a two-crust pumpkin pie!  I lead a sheltered
    life, I guess.

    RE .3, go for the canned stuff. I dare anyone to tell the difference
    between canned squash pie and fresh squash pie. After all you cook the
    squash to mush before making it into anything! And it saves lots of
    time/work. It's the only way I go with either squash or pumpkin pie. I
    even use the recipes on the cans!!!!
    
    Martha

If I could find canned squash out here in silly-con valley, I'd use it....
however, if I'm making squash pie I use wedges of hubbard squash (huge
squash, chunks are sold separately) or something my store calls "winter"
squash (who knows?) or even turban squash.  I do not steam, but bake the
squash, cut side down in a baking pan, and I believe it has a better
flavor.....the mind does play tricks on you though so I could be wrong.
Anyway, after baking until a fork penetrates easily, I scrape the squash
off the rind into a bowl and season as for pumpkin pie (with an extra
shot of ginger for luck).

    Gee, who ever said anything about a two-crust squash (or pumpkin) pie?
    - that would be pretty strange, particularly since such a pie is
    usually a custard pie with squash and spices added, so I would expect
    that a top crust would get pretty soggy, if you did make one that way -
    I'll admit I've never tried it, though!

    For squash or pumpkin pie, I recommend adding a teaspoon of finely
    grated orange peel to the batter.  It adds a wonderful flavor that's
    hard to describe, but if you like Constant Comment tea (orange &
    clove) you'll probably like the flavor in the pie too.
    
    Peigi

If you can find frozen squash, that works well also.  Some old friends of ours 
used to make a squash pie that was so delicious, and he used the frozen box
of squash.  All this talk makes me hungry for some!  

Judy

       2/3 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
         2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
         2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
       1/2 teaspoon salt
       1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
       1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
         2 cups well-drained winter squash puree
     1 1/4 cups half-and-half
         3 large eggs
         1 tablespoon vanilla extract
         1 9-inch unbaked pie shell with high fluted rim
         Sweetened whipped cream (optional)
    
    1.  Heat oven to 350F.  In medium-size bowl, combine brown sugar,
        flour, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and allspice.  Stir in squash,
        half-and-half, eggs, and vanilla.
    2.  Pour squash mixture into pie shell and bake on baking sheet,
        55 to 60 minutes or until center appears set when pie is gently
        moved.
    3.  Remove to wire rack to cool.  Top with whipped cream, if desired. 
                                     

    CHEESECAKE - PUMPKIN OR SQUASH!
    
    Crust:
    1 c plus 3 T gingersanp cookie crumbs (about 24 cookies whirled in a
        food processor).
    4 T butter melted
    1 T light brown sugar
    
    Filling:
    2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
    1/3 c cool water
    1 c heavy cream
    2 packages (8 oz each) creamcheese, softened
    2/3 c granulated sugar
    1 can (1 pound) pumpkin or squash
    1/2 t ground ginger
    1/2 t ground cinnamon
    1/8 t grund cloves
    
    
    1.	Prepare crust: Combine 1 c of the cookie crumbs, 3 T melted butter
    and the light brown sugar in a medium sized bowl
    
    2.	Brush side of 8 inch spring form pan with remaining butter,
    sprinkle remaining 3 tablespoons of crumbs over butter rotating pan to
    coat sides evenly.
    
    3.	Pour crumb mixture evenly over bottom of pan, pressing firmly into
    palce with fingertips to make bottom crust.  Refrigerate to set.
    
    4.	Prepare filling:  Sprinkle gelatin over 1/3 c cool water in 1 cup
    glass measure, let stand to soften, 5 minutes.  Place measure cup in
    small saucepan with 1 inch hot water, hat over medium heat until
    gelatin is dissolved, about 1 minute. Remove measuring cup from water,
    set aside to cool slightly.
    
    5.	Beat heavy cream in medium size bowl until stiff.  Set aside.  Beat
    softened cream chees with granulated sugar in large bowl until smooth,
    2 minutes.  Add  puree of pumpkin or squash, spices, beat until
    combined, 1 minute.  Stir in gelatin, gently fold in whipped cream,
    pour into prepared crust.  Refrigerate 4 hours to overnight.
    
    
    

    I will be making a squash pie from fresh butternut squash.  From past
    experience, peeling these things is a lot of work.  Can anybody suggest
    a better way, other than baking first?  Would blanching it first help
    soften it to facilitate peeling?  I've tried baking it until soft then
    scraping out the insides, but it tends to be too soft after the second
    baking in the pie shell, and we like it with more texture. 
    
    Sarah
    

       re .14:
       
       The best way I've found to peel butternut squash is to buy the
       packaged, peeled squash in the supermarket.  If there's any
       difference in taste or texture between the pre-peeled squash and
       the stuff that slices your fingers and ruins your peelers, I can't
       detect it. 
       
       --Mr Topaz

    One way I have found which works well in peeling the Butternuts
    is to slice the squash into 1"-1 1/2" rings. Take each ring and
    slide a knife around the ring between the skin and meat, resting
    the ring on the cutting board.
    
    I find this method to be much less harmful to the fingers and 
    wrist. I have peeled many a squash this way.
    

    
    	The easiest way that I have found to peel butternut squash is to
    drop the squash in boiling water for about two minutes.  You want to
    start the skin cooking but not the squash.  Then I run under cool
    water.  The skin peels off very easily.  
    	Still I like the idea of buying already peeled.  The squash are
    usually too big to handle very easily.
    	Hope this helps, Linda
    

    By the way, on using a substitute to your father's fresh squash.
    My mother, one year, ran out of time.. so she substituted my
    grandfather's squash for canned... WELL, on Thanksgiving day, my
    grandfather asked my mother for the seeds so he could plant them
    next for next season - "because those were the BEST EVER".
    
    My mother almost choked on her food.!
    
    Good luck on your squash peeling.! Happy Thanksgiving to y'all!!
    

    I make squash pie just like pumpkin pie.  I cook the squash in
    the microwave, scrape the pulp into the food processor, and whiz
    away.  Then I add a couple of eggs, sugar, canned milk, and the
    usual seasonings (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice), and pour in an
    unbaked pastry shell.  Bake at 400 degrees about 15 minutes, then
    lower the oven temperature to 350 for another 45 minutes or so.
    
    My family can't tell the difference between squash and pumpkin pie. 

FYI:

a pumpkin is a squash.  Any recipe for pumpkin pie can be directly translated
to any winter squash.  Zuchini and summer squash would be better sauted and
included in a quiche.    

    
    HI...
    
      I want to make a pumpkim pie using the REAL PUMPKINS I grew this
    year, is there a note on pumpkin pies or how to process the pumpkin
    into the filling in here somewhere...I looked and looked but couldnt
    find the keyword directory.
    
      Thanks for the help.
    
        Ed

    Ed,
    
    Having just made a few pumpkin pies after Halloween, this is
    the way I process fresh pumpkin:
    
    First, take all the seeds and stringy pulp out of the pumpkin. Then,
    
    1) Peel and cube pumpkin pieces.  Place into a large pot and boil
       until tender just as you would mashed potatoes.  Once cooked,
       drain out all water and mash with a potato masher.  You could 
       probably put them through a food processor or blender, if you 
       liked.
    
    or 
    
    2) To make peeling the pumpkins easier:
    
    Slice pumpkin into small enough sections so that they will fit
    into a microwave-safe bowl. (You'll probably have to do the next part
    in several repetitions). Place sections skin side up in container. 
    Add water till container is about 1" filled.  Microwave on HI 
    until skin is just softened enough to peel (I think it takes about
    5 minutes).  Then I cooled the slices, peeled and boiled the pumpkin 
    as in 1).  Softening the skin a bit sure helps to peel the pumpkin !
    
    Also, I like to boil the cubes after microwaving and peeling but you 
    could just as easily cook the pumpkin fully in the microwave according
    to your microwave manual's time allotment for winter squash and then
    scoop out the softened pumpkin mush.    
    
    
    Hope this helps.
    
    Diane
    

    Or, cut it in half and remove seeds then bake skin up until very soft.
    Scrape it insides into a food processor and pureee. I usually get
    around 6 cups froma 10 lb pumpkin. It freezes well, too in 2
    cup-ready-for-pie amounts.
    
    Tamzen

    I like those enormous blue hubbard squashes for "pumpkin" pie - you
    need to either buy just a section of one or own a gigantic cleaver, but
    they sure make a tasty pie!  I made real pumpkin pie recently due to
    popular demand, though.  Sweet potato pie (made with the orange yams,
    not the white sweet pottoes) is real good, too.
    
    /Charlotte

	It's easy to cook a whole pumpkin in the microwave -- assuming the
pumpkin is small enough to fit inside the microwave, that is. 

	Place the pumpkin on a microwave-safe plate, pierce the skin in several
places (I use a cooking fork and make a "crown" of holes by piercing the
pumpkin about a half-dozen times around the top.) to keep the pumpkin from
exploding (VERY messy!), and zap at 100% for 8-10 minutes per pound, turning
1/4 turn halfway through the cooking time.  Let rest at least 10 minutes, then
cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds (which then can be toasted if
desired) and fibers, and scoop the flesh from the skin.  If desired, you can
puree the flesh in a blender, food processor, food mill, or ricer.  (I use a
ricer, because that way I can squeeze the handles slowly enough to let most of
the water drain away before pressing out the rest of the flesh, which is then
drier and thicker.) 

	Notes:
	*  I find it takes a pumpkin about 4.5-5.0 pounds to give me enough
flesh for a pie (2 cups). 
	*  An easy way to find the weight of the pumpkin is to step on a scale
while holding the pumpkin, then put it down and see how much weight you "lost"
-- that's the weight of the pumpkin.

    Insure the canned milk is condensed milk not evaporated milk.
    
    Stuart,

    Re: .1, .5, .6
    
    There's a *big* difference between condensed milk and evaporated
    milk, so be sure to read your recipe carefully.  Evaporated milk
    is concentrated -- lots of water has been removed, so that by
    combining water and evaporated milk in equal proportions, you have
    a milk product which is comparable to whole milk.  Condensed milk,
    however, is also evaporated, but sweetening (a *lot*) has been added.
    So, if your recipe calls for sugar, you probably shouldn't be using
    condensed milk.  If, however, your recipe uses no other source of
    sweetening, then condensed milk is probably correct.
    
    Joanna

>    We did manage to find it in time for Thanksgiving.  It's a great pie! I
>    was so shocked to pick up the DTW and see it was "one of our own" who
>    created it!  If you try it, and I urge you to do so, please note it is
>    EXTREMELY rich.  One thin slice will do it...well, maybe "several" thin
>    slices, eaten with a break in between, will do it!

So are you going to share the recipe with those of us who don't get DTW???

Steve

    Re: .1, .5, .6, .7

A lesson learned when sharing recipes with folks from the British Isles,
France, and Mexico:
    
In countries other than the USA, condensed milk (sans sugar) is sometimes
considered the equivalent of our "evaporated" milk.  In the USA, we
often refer to "condensed" milk when what we are talking about is SWEETENED,
condensed milk.