Skip to main content

Spiced Kabocha Pie with a Frangelico-Scented Crust for Nonna

Today is my mom's birthday. Happy birthday, Nonna! So, last night I asked the boys if we should bake her a cake. They both shook their heads. Pie, they decided. Okay. Pumpkin pie. Okay. And you have to roast some pumpkins while we do our homework. Oh, okay.



The boys delivered her pie this morning on their way to school.


I didn't have any pumpkins, but I had two kabocha squash from our High Ground Organics CSA. So, while they boys finished up homework, I made some kabocha puree. I've always called it a Japanese pumpkin. Close enough.

Ingredients for one 11" pie
  • 2 C all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 C white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 C finely ground blanched almonds or almond flour
  • 1 C butter, very-cold, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
  • dash of ground cinnamon
  • 3 to 4 T ice water
  • 3 to 4 T Frangelico
  • 4 C kabocha puree (make a puree like this: click here)
  • 4 eggs
  • 2 C organic heavy whipping cream
  • 1/2 C organic granulated sugar
  • spices to taste (D used some ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and ground cardamom. When I asked him how much, he answered "10 pinches")

Procedure
I don't have a food processor, so I use a pastry blender and do it all by hand. Place the flour, ground almonds, ground cinnamon, and cold butter in a large bowl. Use the pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter.


Alternate ice water and Frangelico 1 T at a time, until mixture just begins to clump together. If you squeeze some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready. If the dough doesn't hold together, add a little more water and cut again. Note that too much water will make the crust tough. Once the dough comes together into a ball, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.

Roll out the Pâte BrisĂ©e between two pieces of parchment paper and place the crust in your baking dish. Place the crust in the freezer while the oven heats and you make the filling. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.


To make the filling whisk together the puree, cream, sugar, eggs, and spices together until well combined. Spoon the filling into the crust and bake till the filling is set. Mine took about an hour. Let cool before serving.

They did joke - yes, it's funny to see their senses of humor develop - that I should cover it in whipped cream and, then, top it with pumpkin madeleines and marzipan pumpkins. "Wait...you are joking, right?!?" Yes, Mom, we're joking. Phew.

Comments

  1. squash is squash is squash....except for spaghetti squash, summer squash and zucchini LOL

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Meyer Lemon Custard-Filled Matcha Turtles #BreadBakers

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our  Pinterest board  right here. Links are also updated after each event on the  Bread Bakers home page .  We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient. This month Stacy of Food Lust People Love  is hosting and she wrote: "Your bread can be large, as in one big animal, or small - animal-shaped rolls. Use your imagination! Points for flavor and shape!" If you are a food blogger and would like to join us, just send an email with your blog URL to Stacy at foodlustpeoplelove@gmail.com. Here's the animal-shaped bread basket from the #BreadBakers... Beef and Sweet Onion Dim Sum Pandas from Karen's Kitchen Stories Bird Bread Rolls from Ambrosia Easter Bunny Buns from Cook with Renu Ham and Cheese Elephant Rolls from Food Lust People Love Hedgehog Bread from Making Mir

Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'Maître Bonhome' Viré-Clessé #Winophiles

This month the French Winophiles group is looking at affordable wines from Burgundy.  Host Cindy of Grape Experiences wrote: "Burgundy, or Bourgogne, is known for its wines of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir... as well as Aligote, Gamay, Sauvignon, CĂ©sar, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon in lesser quantities. Many of the well-known wines are quite expensive, but there are plenty of values to be found." Read her invitation here. And there won't be a Twitter chat for this event, so you will have to dive into the articles themselves to read about our pairings and findings. Here's the line-up... Wendy Klik from A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoys Domaine Chevillon Chezeaux Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits, 2018 Paired with a Maple Pecan Chicken . Camilla Mann from Culinary Adventures with Camilla shares her love of Connecticut Lobster Rolls, Canned Lobster Bisque, and a 2019 Henry Fessy 'MaĂ®tre Bonhome' VirĂ©-ClessĂ©. Jeff Burrows of FoodWineClick! explains why we should Look t

Quick Pickled Red Onions and Radishes

If you've been reading my blog for even a short amount of time, you probably know how much I love to pickle things. I was just telling a friend you can pickle - with vinegar - or you can ferment - with salt - for similar delicious effect. The latter has digestive benefits and I love to do that, but when I need that pop of sour flavor quickly, I whip up quick pickles that are ready in as little as a day or two. I've Pickled Blueberries , Pickled Asparagus , Pickled Cranberries , Pickled Pumpkin , and even Pickled Chard Stems ! This I did last night for an upcoming recipe challenge that requires I include radishes. Ummmm...of course I'm pickling them! Ingredients  makes 1 quart jar radishes, trimmed and sliced organic red onions, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mandolin slicer) 3/4 C vinegar (I used white distilled vinegar) 3/4 C water 3 T organic granulated sugar 1 T salt (I used some grey sea salt) 6 to 8 grinds of black pepper Proce