– One gluten free butternut squash pie recipe, please! –
I’ve said it before – Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Even when life’s got you down and it feels like the Universe is throwing everything it’s got at you, it’s important to feel gratitude for the things you do have. Does your health suck? Maybe. Is your spouse a virtual 12-year old? Perhaps. Are you unemployed with no health insurance, rent money, or prospects of work? Indeed. But you know what? This is life. It’s all we’ve got, and the sooner you embrace the downs with the ups, the sooner you’ll realize that it’s the journey that counts, not what’s waiting at the end. Because that end will find you soon enough.
Today I am grateful for a lot of things, but what’s at the top of my mind right now is the lovely community that I’ve come to be a part of. This food blogging world that I’ve stumbled into has embraced me and swaddled me in a blankie of love and incredibly comforting things to eat. I can’t even express the gratitude that I feel for each and every one of you – my readers, my mailing list cohorts, and my blogging compatriots. Even if I can’t see you and touch you every day, knowing that you’re there makes this world a warmer, more inviting place. Even when the sh*te’s hitting the fan in my life, I can think of each and every one of you and know that you’re out there rooting for me, supporting me as I bumble my way through this existence I’ve built. Really, what more can a person ask for?
Now that I’m all weepy, I’d like to share a recipe with you. In support of Shauna and Danny’s new book, a handful of food bloggers are running a gluten free Thanksgiving recipe day. This is a book you’ll love, not just for Thanksgiving, but in your everyday life. I recommend it for more than the food – the Aherns are top purveyors of the purest gratitude, and you’ll find it in spades within their cookbook love story.
At the bottom of this post, you’ll find a series of links to other participating blog posts. Please, go check them out. These lovely people are my friends, and I’m so, so proud to share their work with you.
Gluten Free Butternut Squash Pie Recipe
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 1 cup Gluten-Free Flour Mix
- 5 teaspoons sweet rice flour
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
- 1 pinch salt
- 6 tablespoons cold salted butter
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon orange juice
For the filling:
- 2 pounds butternut squash
- 3/4 cup low-fat milk
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter melted
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
Instructions
For the crust:
- Prepare a 9-inch pie pan by greasing it with butter or nonstick baking spray and generously coating it with Gluten-Free Flour Mix (recipe below).
- Mix flours, sugar, xanthan gum and salt in a bowl. Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut cold butter into dry ingredients until it becomes crumbly and resembles small peas. Add egg and orange juice, and mix with a fork until the dough combines. Form into a ball and place in the refrigerator, covered with wax paper, for 10 minutes.
- Lay down a sheet of wax paper and place the ball of dough in the middle. Lay another piece of wax paper over the top and press down gently with your hands to flatten the ball. Roll the dough with a rolling pin until it is about 1/4-inch thick, making sure to keep an even thickness and fill in any cracks with dough from the edges.
- Remove the top sheet of wax paper and place the dough in the pan, then peel off the remaining sheet of wax paper and gently press the dough into the pan. Take care not to puncture the dough with your fingers or fingernails. Crimp the edges and prick a few holes in the bottom of the dough with a fork. Cover pie pan loosely with wax paper and place in freezer for 15 minutes.
- While the dough is freezing, place rack in the middle of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove pie pan from freezer and line crust with aluminum foil, making sure to seal the edges so they don’t burn. Bake for 10 minutes, then remove foil and bake for another 10 minutes, or until crust is a pale brown. Remove from oven and set aside.
For the filling:
- Preheat to 425°F (218°C). Cut squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a spoon. Lay squash face down on a jelly-roll pan and pour 1/2 cup of water into the pan. Roast in oven for 1 hour, checking occasionally to make sure there is still water in the pan. Squash is done when a fork easily penetrates the flesh. Remove squash from oven, allow to cool and scoop flesh out with a spoon. You need 1 1/2 cups of mashed squash for the filling.
- Make a shield for the edge of the pie crust by cutting 3-inch-thick strips of foil and folding them over the edges of your crust to protect them from burning. The foil should not dip down into the basin of the pan. Make sure it just covers the crimped parts around the rim of the pie pan.
- To make the filling, combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend on high for 1 minute, or until ingredients are liquefied. Pour filling into pie crust and carefully place on the center rack of the oven. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the pie comes out clean.
- Place pie on wire rack until completely cooled. Slice and serve with whipped cream, which is nice with a little cayenne pepper.
- Variation: For standard pumpkin pie, replace the butternut squash with 1 1/2 cups of fresh, unseasoned pumpkin puree. If you are roasting your own pumpkin, cut open the top, scoop out the seeds and split the body into four pieces. Roast according to directions above.
Notes
Nutrition
More Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Dishes
- Turkey Meatloaf Cupcakes
- Apple and Pear Cobbler
- Celery Root Soup with Cashew Cream
- Turkey Sloppy Joes on Rosemary Rolls
- Pumpkin Strata
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
- Maple Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Gingerbread Bottom
- Pumpkin Pie
- Cranberry-Almond-Coconut Macaroons Topped with Chocolate
- Dairy-free, Egg-free, Gluten-free, No-bake Pumpkin Pie Filling
- An Entire Thanksgiving Menu, Gluten-free
- Apple Cranberry Crisp
- Cherry Cobbler
- Butternut Squash Soup.
- Brown Sugar Hand Pies
- Rustic Squash Tarts
- Candy Carrot Coins
- Gingerbread Cake
- Sweet Potato and Crabapple Clafoutis
- Apple Crisp
This content was originally posted on FearlessFresh.com.