TWD - Depths of Fall Butternut Squash Pie

This week's Tuesday with Dorie is a rewind week to allow US members to make what they want from Dorie's book for Thanksgiving (or just because). I am going to rebel and do a fast forward instead. When it was my turn to choose a recipe recently, I was torn between the Fold Over Pear Torte (which I eventually chose), and the Depths of Fall Butternut Squash Pie. Both sounded intriguing, and neither had a photo in the book, so either choice was a magical mystery tour to see where you ended up.

It may be the depths of spring here, but I still really wanted to make the Butternut Squash Pie - so for this week, that is what I have made.

The pie is chock full of cooked cubes of butternut squash, cubed pears, dried cranberries, chopped walnuts, orange juice and zest, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar:

This filling is then encased in a double pie crust, sprinkled with sugar, and baked until golden:

You are supposed to use Dorie's Good for Almost Anything Pie Dough - forgive me, I am incredibly time poor at present, and I used store bought pie dough. It still turned out really well.

The smell of fruit and spices in the pie while it is baking beckons like the Lorelei to the sailors (with a happier ending, of course!), and I found it hard to wait for the bubbling, golden pie to cool. When you slice open the crust of the pie, the fruity, juicy filling spills out into the pie plate, making it irresistible to scoop up with a spoon. The squash blends in with the fruit and tastes decidedly un-squash like - it is more like apple or pear.

I loved this pie, and would make it again in a heart beat - which I am sure I will when someone chooses it for TWD. To see what Dorie recipes everyone else made this week, visit the LYL section of the TWD blogroll.