Salted Kabocha Pie is a delight. It’s been many years since we grew pumpkins. One pumpkin is as much as we can eat, so we usually opt for buying a single, big, beautiful pumpkin at the farmer’s market in the fall. It’s more than enough for several dishes, including pumpkin pie, of course. But not this year, because we harvested an abundance of kabocha squash and I’m making Salted Kabocha Pie instead!
I typically grow butternut squash. This year, I decided to mix things up and planted a couple of other types of winter squash – honeynut squash, which is like a smaller, sweeter butternut, and kabocha squash (aka Japanese pumpkin), which is creamy and nutty. Ron was horribly disappointed that I didn’t plant butternuts – at first. But I think he’s OK with it now. Pumpkins, squash – it’s all good.
Honeynuts and kabochas are interchangeable in most recipes, including this one. They’re also both fantastic when simply sliced and roasted, even better than butternuts because their skins are edible; peeling isn’t necessary. So simple, so good.
I do discard the peel after roasting the squash when making this Salted Kabocha Pie. The custard must be completely smooth and silky. Toward that end, I also use evaporated milk. We’ve been avoiding saturated fats for a while, but sometimes, just sometimes, one must indulge. It really is all in the margins right? And you’re just going to have one small piece, right? Hmmm. We’ll see about that!
You could use whatever piecrust you prefer, but I really love my Maple Quinoa Crust for this Salted Kabocha Pie. It’s crunchy and sweet, and adds some protein and fiber. So, evaporated milk aside, this is a pretty healthy dessert. Healthy enough, anyway! This recipe makes enough filling for two pies, but I typically bake one pie and then bake the rest of the custard separately. Alternatively, you could halve the recipe, and freeze half of the roasted kambocha, or reserve it for another dish.
Salted Kabocha Pie
Ingredients
- 1 kabocha squash
- 4 eggs
- 2 t vanilla
- ½ cup maple syrup
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 2 T brown sugar
- 1 T cornstarch
- 2 t pumpkin pie spice
- 2 parbaked piecrusts
- 1 t Maldon sea salt
- whole walnuts or pecans (optional)
Instructions
- Prep the squash – Preheat the oven to 400℉, convection roast setting. Cut the squash in half, and scoop out the seeds. Spray the cut side of the squash with olive oil and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Once the oven is pre-heated, roast the squash until tender, about 20 minutes. Scoop the flesh of the squash out of the shells and mash it with a fork. Decrease the oven temp to 375℉.
- Make the pie filling – Add the mashed squash, the eggs, 2 teaspoon of vanilla, ½ cup maple syrup, and 1 cup of evaporated milk to your blender jar, and blend until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 T brown sugar, 1 T cornstarch, and 2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice. Add this to the blender with the wet ingredients and blend to incorporate.
- Fill the piecrust(s) and bake – Pour the pie filling into your parbaked pastry shell(s) or crust(s). Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the filling is set. Rotate the plate(s) halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking.
- Garnish and cool before serving – Sprinkle the pie(s) with Maldon sea salt and decorate with whole walnuts or pecans (if using). Let the pie(s) cool completely before serving.
INGREDIENT NOTES:
If you’re interested in other fantastic gluten-free crust and pastry options, check out my Crust and Pastry Variations page.
This is news to me – did you know that evaporated milk can be made from either 2% milk or whole milk? If someone offers to pick up some evaporated milk for you at the store, be sure to tell them which you prefer – the low fat version or the creamier version. You decide.
Finally, pumpkin pie spice is a simple mix of cinnamon, ground ginger, ground nutmeg, ground allspice, and ground cloves – warming spices that make you feel that all is right in your world. You could mix up a big batch and store it in an airtight jar for the next time you bake a Salted Kabocha Pie. Until then, pumpkin spice latte, anyone?
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