Marian Burros's Squash and Cheese Pie

Ooh, it's a crummy one here today. Cold and wet and biting and the sleet's been coming down since the early morning hours. It's simply not the kind of day that should be spent anywhere but on the couch, with a cup of tea, a stack of good books, and preferably a small, domesticated animal of some kind acting as a foot warmer. But here we are, so let's make the most of it, shall we? I know! I'll tell you all about the most thrilling discovery I made this past weekend: store-bought pie crusts. Not the evil I thought they were! And just the ticket when running (very, very, very) behind on dinner party menu-planning.

Now where were we? We left off at dessert. Right, a nice polenta cake with syruped cherries. Delicious! (And surprisingly good three days later, cold from the fridge, eaten whilst watching Out of Africa. Ben said I'd love it, I doubted him, he was right, the end.) Once I'd decided on that cake, I worked backwards. Some kind of good salad, like baby arugula mixed with thinly sliced fennel, dressed with olive oil, flaky salt and a champagne vinegar. Then something warm and rich and comforting to balance that. Marian Burros's cheese and squash pie seemed to fill all those criteria, plus it'd help use up the monster butternut squash I'd gotten from our CSA's winter share. (I am literally drowning in rutabaga and turnips, though. Send Help Please.)

The pie was quick enough to fit my schedule. The only problem? It required a pie crust. And I didn't exactly have any of those just hanging around the house. A better woman would, I'm sure! But I didn't. So I sent Ben at the grocery store and made him call me from the frozen foods aisle. "This one has trans fats!" ... "This one has 900 grams of sodium!" ...

He came home with a three-pack of Oronoque Orchards pie crusts, which seemed harmless enough despite my secret shame. But honestly, I was so pleased with how the pie turned out. The crust was tasty and flaky and fast. I quite like making my own pie dough, so it's not like I'm going to stop anytime soon, but it is nice to know that good alternatives really do exist. Are you all rolling your eyes at me now? It's okay, I can take it.

Now, because my scale is missing its batteries and I therefore am blind in my kitchen (is what it feels like), I couldn't weigh my squash. I eyeballed it and roasted the part that seemed to be around 1 1.5 to 2 pounds. But that resulted in so much filling that I ended up with two squash-and-cheese pies. (Thank goodness for three-packs of frozen pie crusts! And thank goodness that I ended up with two pies, because my guests devoured every last crumb.) Maybe I am just awful at estimating weight. Or maybe this recipe yield is way off. But if you make this, make sure you've got a second pie crust on hand, just in case.

What's that? You want to know about the pie itself? Oh, right! Of course. The pie itself was lovely, too. You roast a squash until it's all melting and soft. You puree it with eggs and a bit of cream and then mix that up with browned onions and chopped rosemary and a big pile of grated cheeses. You pour that into a baked pastry shell and bake it in the oven until it's set. It's savory and herbal, creamy and warming, hearty and satisfying, but it doesn't hit you in the belly with richness or heft. The combination of rosemary and fried onions and the funk of three kinds of cheeses with all that sweet, roasty squash was just right. Between seven people, these two pies were polished off in no time at all.

A decided success, I'd say.

Squash and Cheese Pie
Yields 10 to 12 servings as side dish or first course

Notes on the recipe: I ended up grating close to a whole cup of the Cheddar because of the massive amount of filling. So make sure you dip your pinky finger in the puree to taste before pouring it into the pie shell. You'll know then if you need to add more cheese or adjust the salt. Don't worry about the raw eggs; if you're using fresh ones from the market you'll be fine with a tiny fingertip's taste.

1 1.5 to 2-pound butternut squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2/3 cup grated aged sharp Cheddar cheese (1 to 1 1/4 ounces)
2/3 cup grated nutty, earthy semisoft cheese, like Thistle Hill Tarentaise or Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk (1 to 1 1/4 ounces) (I used Gruyere)
1/2 cup fresh goat cheese (2 to 3 ounces)
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
2/3 cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 9-inch pie crust, plain or whole wheat, baked

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Scrub squash and cut in half lengthwise. Rub cut side with a little oil and place on a baking sheet cut side down. Roast 40 to 50 minutes, until flesh is soft.

2. Meanwhile, sauté onion in remaining oil until onion browns. In a bowl, combine onion with cheeses and rosemary; set aside.

3. When squash is cooked, cool slightly and remove flesh. Place in food processor with eggs, yolks and cream; purée. Pour into bowl with cheeses and whisk to mix. Season with salt and pepper, and spoon into cooled pie shell. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until center is set. Cool on rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

Comments

[Fiona]

That sounds delicious.

And I'm not judging. I think making pie crust well is a genetic gift. Either you've got that gene or not. I don't. So I always buy crust, and if people feel the need to judge, they can go have dinner elsewhere.

This might be a good contribution to a baby shower I'm going to later in the month. Or just for moi. Whatever. Thanks!

[Liana]

Turnips. I love them! Slice them thinly and sauté in duck fat with salt, lots of pepper, and thyme. And see Madhur Jaffrey's recipe for turnips and lamb (I'll send it to you)—it's truly wonderful.

[marilyn]

too many root vegetables? they are perfect for creamy soups without cream! a good combo; onion, ginger, turnip, butternut squash, apples and why not some rutabaga too? all cooked in homemade chicken broth and then a quick whir in the blender, voila!!
with a slice of grainy whole wheat toast topped with a thin slice of gruyere chees, supper is ready!

[Culinarywannabe]

I feel so much better about using store bought pie crust now! I'm sure it does not justify using it all the time, but good to know that in a crunch it's an "ok" option. And the pie looks interesting and delicious!

[Selba]

It must be a really yummy pie!

[Victoria]

I wish I had been at that meal. Two real winners. This sounds totally delicious, and it looks gorgeous. I was in Murray's the other night poking around, looking for some Cantal to make aligot, but could only get a substitute. I did see that Cowgirl Creamery Red Hawk, however. I think it cost a million dollars or something close.

Out of Africa. Oh, my. The scene where she tells the story at the dining room table is my favorite scene from any movie. Ever.

Even though it was brutal outside today, it sounds like you've had a pretty good week.

[Sophie]

This souds so good! I will make it soon...! Yum YUM!

[gastroanthropologist]

I often make a butternut squash lasagne when I'm swimming in squash...I usually use ricotta, but I think next time I'm going to try your filling recipe instead...a little cooked spinach and lasagne noodles -yum.

p.s. I love store bought doughs...at my local organic grocery they sell it frozen in blocks and they have one for sweet pies and one for savory pies. Just defrost, roll, and bake! I'll look for the brand next time I go.

[Zoe Dawn]

This recipe looks so good! Would it still be good with milk instead of cream?

[Luisa]

Zoe Dawn - I really don't know. Cream binds and thickens, as you probably know, and milk really doesn't have those same properties. You could try it with whole milk and see how it works out. But remember, the recipe only calls for 2/3 cup of cream, which, when spread out over 2 pies, really isn't all that much.

[maggie]

Omg turnips in duck fat sounds like such a good idea. I just roast 'em up and eat them with a fried egg.

I, too, buy pie crusts. I don't have a mixer or food processor. Does that count as an excuse?

[bittermelon]

I recently tested out some frozen pie crusts, Whole Foods has their own 365 brand, 2 in a pack and organic) and found it surprisingly good. I had no expectations but it was flaky enough and probably better than some crusts I've made myself. And way better than the refrigerated ones I've tried in the supermarkets (I like a lard crust as much as the next person but one brand in particular tasted downright porky, not the flavor combo I'm looking for in apple pie).

I still make my own crusts when I have time, but you're right, in a pinch, they frozen ones can be a lifesaver. By the way, the squash pie looks and sounds great!

[Chelsea]

Luisa,
That pie sounds great and looks lovely. I think this is a great excuse to buy some Red Hawk!

[jenny]

i can't help with the turnips, as i don't like them, but rutabaga? cut into chunks and roast, dressed with a bit of olive oil, at about 400 for about 35-45 minutes. it will give off a lot of water initially, then brown and caramelize. sprinkle with some maldon salt at the end and you will be amazed. i'd always made rutabaga by steaming or boiling before, and then dressing with some butter, but roasting it, done just this weekend, was a transformative experience. seriously. transformative. but maybe it helps to have loved it from the beginning. i even roasted it in my toaster oven.

[Sara]

I usually make my own pie crusts but it's nice to know they are good options out there.

The squash and cheese filling sounds great.

[ann]

I've made a squash quiche like this substituting yogurt or kefir for the cream. It turns out divinely! And something a little smoky, like pimenton de la vera or chipotle puree adds a little mystery to it too. Delish!

[Rahel]

I'll confess that I also usually use those exact frozen pie crusts -- my mother always used them, and although I dropped them when I first started avoiding trans-fats, once they became trans-fat free, I went back to using them. They get a lot of compliments. For tarts I make my own crust, and I made the crust for that fabulous sweet squash pie you posted last year, but I do think these are a good option.

[Kylie at Thin Crust, Deep Dish]

It certainly was a rotten day yesterday, weather-wise. This squash and cheese pie is, I think, just what would have helped to dry out my soaking socks. Winter in New York can really be improved by recipes like these and friends to share them with.

[jen maiser]

too funny - my scale's batteries died this week and i felt like a limb had been cut off. funny how dependent we get.

[jenny]

MY secret shame is that I can no longer stomach goat cheese. it literally makes me nauseous, and I have no idea why or how that happened. do you have any suggestions for substitutions? otherwise, this sounds completely and totally scrumptious. can't wait to try it just as soon as I get done making laurence jossel's giant limas with stewed tomatoes and oregano pesto ...

[julia crain]

rutabagas and turnips? have you ever heard of pasties, the cornish delicacy? they're miners food. and they're delicious.

they are in essence a meat filled pie, similar to a pot pie, but meant for the hand.

for the dough
3c flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c lard ( or veg. shortening)
3/4 c cold water

for the filling
1 potato
2 rutabaga
2 turnips
1-2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, grated
salt, pepper and parsley

combine mixture and place in fridge.

prepare dough as you would pie crust until it just comes together.

from dough prepare 12 smaller pie crusts, place 1/2 cup filling on half of the dough and fold the other half over the other side. Roll the dough to seal the contents inside. Brush with milk or egg wash.

Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

Serve with ketchup or brown gravy. Sounds rudimentary, but they're very delicious.

[Caroline]

I made the squash pie last night, it was fantastic!!!!I love your site because you choose such interesting recipies and photos and story is as good as the eating. Reading a great book called A thousand years over a hot stove, the history of American women through food, recipes and remembrances. It's by Laura Scheone, I read her book The lost ravioli recipe of Hoboken, it was fantastic read about her familiy and regional italian cooking and history.
Happy Saturday

[shawna]

I made this yesterday afternoon to take to a Super Bowl party tonight. As it was cooling, I must have made 200+ trips through the kitchen to "check" it. Once cooled, I thought I should have the tiniest of tastes- a mere sliver... And don't I have the responsibility of sampling a recipe before sharing it, just in case I made some hideous mistake? One sliver became 4 (remember Elaine and the slice of wedding cake that Peterman bought at auction)? Now there was a gaping hole in that squash & cheese pie. Ah well then, screw those Super bowl people- this is MY pie, they can get their OWN pie! I'll be making them one this afternoon. This is extremely tasty cold too!
Thank you Luisa, I really enjoy your blog and photography. What happened with the best food blog post? When I voted you were well in the lead. Cheers!

[Laura]

This sounds awesome. And I would never judge using a frozen pie crust. until I moved recently I could not even find my counter half the time to roll a crust out on!

[Rose-Anne]

Hi, Luisa. I think this pie sounds great, but I'm a little confused about how you ended up making yours. It sounds like you found that you had too much squash for one pie, so you tasted and tweaked and made enough filling for two pies. Is that correct? I'm wondering if the squash amount could be converted to a volume of squash puree--say, 1 cup of roasted squash puree. That seems more precise to me...any thoughts?

(By the way, I realize this recipe didn't originate in your kitchen, so please don't take my questions above as criticism. I only ask because I really want to make this pie! And I want it to be good! I've got a reputation to uphold.)

[Luisa]

Rose-Anne - no, it's not that I had too much squash and purposely made extra filling; the filling as directed in the recipe just ended up being far too much for one pie. My friend made this this past weekend and the same exact thing happened to her. I'm not sure how much volume of squash was used, so I can't do the conversion for you.

[Rose-Anne]

Thanks for answering my question! I do appreciate it. I think that I'll take the delicious ingredients of this pie and study up on some other recipes to convert the filling amount to one pie's worth. I'm crazy about the idea of caramelized onions and butternut squash amid all those cheeses, eggs, and cream. Mmm.

[Hartley from Kitchen Caravan]

Mmm I love savory pies and tarts. Check out this Healthy Heart Tart with Swiss Chard and Gruyere. So good, not to mention good for you - enjoy!