Thanksgiving Abroad: the OMG I Can't Find Any Pumpkin Pie

Those of us who routinely spend Thanksgiving off the North American continent but still try to lay out a traditional Thanksgiving dinner probably all have our own stories about failing to find some vital missing ingredient, and then being forced to make do with something less than optimal. One item that sometimes turns out to be very hard to lay hands on is pumpkin.

The difficulty usually surrounds canned pumpkin rather than the fresh kind... but even that can be a problem when it's out of season. Markets in France and Germany for example, routinely feature some of the best fresh pumpkin to be found anywhere on the planet -- firm, meaty, relatively seedless, and (most important) flavorful. But then these are varieties that have been bred for the table for centuries -- not the North American varieties that are mostly bred for size so that they'll make good jack-o-lanterns at Halloween. Problem is, once they're out of season, you won't see them again until the next year... and when you go looking for canned pumpkin, the response is usually bemusement. You won't find it in most parts of Europe. If you can track it down, it's usually in some overpriced store that caters to foreigners and is going to make you pay five or ten times more for it than you would have in a supermarket in the States or Canada.

At such times -- if you're not willing to buckle under -- you learn to improvise. This recipe is one of EuroCuisineLady's takes on the theme. It's an adaptation of the basic pumpkin pie recipe in The Joy of Cooking. This pie -- using butternut squash and yams to replace the pumpkin -- produces a rich, dark pie that compares very favorably with the traditional pumpkin version. It's not going to taste exactly like it... but for the moment it'll do. (One note: the darkness of the pie in the picture is due to EuroCuisineLady using molasses in it instead of brown sugar. The brown sugar variant produces a lighter, more pumpkiny-colored pie.)

Click "read more" for the recipe and method. (Also: for a variant on this theme using only sweet potatoes, check out our Virtually Pumpkin Pie.)

Ingredients:

• 1 recipe of pie dough for a single crust pie (see below)
• 2 butternut squash or 1 butternut squash and 2 yams (about 10 ounces each), to make about 2 1/2 - 3 cups of cooked squash/yam mixture
• 1 1/2 cups undiluted evaporated milk or rich cream (double cream is ideal, but standard whipping cream will do)
• 1/4 cup molasses or 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 5 slightly beaten eggs and 1 egg yolk
• Optional flavorings /inclusions:
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla, or 2 tablespoons brandy or rum, or 1 teaspoon rum flavoring

  • 1 1-inch bud long pepper, ground fine (If you can get long pepper, this addition is strongly recommended: it really makes a difference to the finished pie. It's terrific in real pumpkin pie, too.)
  • 3/4 cup black walnut meats, chopped/broken

Method:

Prepare the pie crust (see below for recipe): bake according to instructions and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 325° F. Wash the butternut squash(es) and split the long way: remove the seeds and strings. If using yams, peel them. Place the squashes or squash and yams on a baking sheet and bake for one hour.

When finished, scoop the baked pulp out of the butternut squash into a bowl: if using yams, split them and do the same. Beat, puree or whip the squash or squash-and-yam mixture until very smooth.

If using molasses, warm it slightly in the microwave or put its jar in warm water to make it a little easier to handle. In a bowl that you can use as the top of a double boiler, mix the molasses or brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, spices, cream and beaten eggs/egg yolk very well until blended. Add the squash or squash/yam mixture and beat well again.

Put a couple of cups of water in the bottom of the double boiler and bring to a boil. Put the top bowl onto the double boiler and stir the mixture frequently until it becomes very thick. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a little while, stirring the mixture to help it cool more quickly. Add the vanilla, rum or brandy, or rum flavoring, and (if you're using them) the walnut meats.

When the mixture has cooled a little further, pour it into the baked pie shell. Refrigerate, ideally overnight (it takes a while to firm up).

Serve slices topped with whipped cream.

Alternate method if you prefer a very solid-textured pie: You can bake this pie instead of cooking the filling in a double boiler. If you prefer to make your pie this way, don't prebake the pie crust. Prepare the crust as usual and preheat the oven to 425° F. Prepare and combine the ingredients as above but don't cook them in the double boiler: when combined and well mixed, simply pour them into the pie shell. When the oven is ready, bake the pie at 425° F for fifteen minutes, then reduce to 350° F and bake for another 45-50 minutes. Test with a knife blade: the pie is ready when the knife comes out clean (or very nearly so).

Pie crust recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup pastry shortening or butter
• 3 tablespoons water (slightly more if required)

Method:

Preheat oven to 425° F. Sift the flour before measuring it into a roomy bowl or food processor. Add the salt and mix well: then work in the shortening by cutting it in with two knives, using a pastry blender, or pulsing the mixture in a food processor with the plastic blade, until the grain in the mixture is pea-sized. Stir or pulse the water in one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture holds together when you gather it into a ball. (If using a food processor, pulse until the dough mixture just gathers to make a ball.)

Allow to rest for 15 minutes in the refrigerator: then roll out and use to line a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool.