A Tale of 2 Pies - Mapled Butternut Chiffon Pie

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...... (not really but that is how the opening goes)
-- A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Sure it doesn't make a whole lotta sense, but it went with the title, so I put it in anyway.

This is the story of 2 pies and 1 Butternut squash, that came from my dad's garden this year (It was Jarmungous). So my dad peeled, seeded, cubed and steamed it all up, then mashed it with a fork. There was plenty for 2 "pumpkin" pies. So in the interest of having a variety of pies for the "Big Day" my dad made our family's traditional Honey Butternut Pie in the food processor and I made a Mapled Butternut Chiffon Pie.

The only real difference between these 2 recipes is the crust, 1 egg, Maple Syrup and the method of putting everything together (which required Gelatin for the Chiffon). But it created 2 very different pies.

I made the 10 Grain Crust last night so it would have at least 12 hours in the refrigerator to get nice and cold before adding the filling today.

Mapled Butternut Chiffon Pie

1 10-inch 10 Grain Crust
2 Cups Butternut Squash
1/4 cup Dark Brown Sugar
3 large Eggs, Separated
1/4 cup Grade B Maple Syrup
2 1/4 tsp unflavored Gelatin
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Mace
1/8 tsp ground Ginger
1/8 tsp Clove
1/2 tsp Salt
1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup Heavy Cream (this should yield about 1 1/2 cups of whipped cream)

In the bowl of a food processor, combine Butternut squash, Dark Brown sugar, and Egg Yolks...

processing until smooth.

In a small bowl combine Maple Syrup, Gelatin, Spices and Salt;

In the top of a double boiler (bain-marie) over medium heat, combine the Squash mixture and Maple syrup mixture.

Stirring constantly, cook over, but not in the simmering water until the mixture begins thickening or the temperature reaches 155 degrees; Remove from bath and pour into a clean bowl to stop the cooking process; cover with plastic wrap and allow to cool to room temp, then refrigerate for 3 hours.



Prepare a Swiss meringue by whisking the Egg Whites with 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar over simmering water until they reach 140 F degrees.

Then remove the bowl from the heat and continue beating until the egg whites reach stiff peaks.

Remove squash custard from refrigerator and break up the mass with a whisk, then grab a big spatula.

In a well chilled bowl whip heavy cream until stiff.

Fold Swiss Meringue into the squash mixture,

followed by the whipped cream;

Fill the pie shell and refrigerate until fully set.

Yes, this recipe uses a lot of bowls. ;) But it is deliciously light and fluffy and well worth the extra load in the dishwasher. LOL If you would prefer to only dirty the food processor bowl, check out my dad's Honey Butternut Pie.

Mangia!!
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Tasty, Toasty, Buttery and Roasty - Toasted Grain Pie Shell

Today, I am gonna show ya how to make a slightly different type of pie crust. It's similar to a graham cracker crust, but infinitely healthier with a rich buttery and nutty flavor.

My mom use to make this, when I was really young, for a Peanut Butter Chiffon pie; But she used a stone-ground 6 grain hot cereal mix that was made by Orowheat© which is no longer available. I did succeed in finding a decent replacement with one of the Stone ground cereal mixes made by Bob's Red Mill.

I have used this particular pie shell not only to make the Peanut Butter Chiffon pie, but also as a crust for Cheesecakes instead of the standard graham cracker or cookie crusts with great success. Alas, this post is only about the pie shell, because I am not going to be filling it with until tomorrow evening. I am sure you can guess, considering the staple of the Thanksgiving dessert tray... None the less, mum is the word for now. ;)

Toasted Grain Pie Crust

2/3 cup Bobs Red Mill Stone-Ground 10 Grain hot cereal (or 5 or 7, Bob's makes all three kinds)
2/3 cup Quick Oats (The 1 minute ones)
1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar
Pinch of Kosher Salt
1/3 cup Unsalted Butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spread the oats and cereal mix in a shallow pan and toast in the oven for about 10 - 11 minutes.

Combine Butter, Salt and Brown Sugar in a medium bowl and stir with a fork to combine.

Add the toasted cereal and stir until the texture becomes crumbly;

Press firmly into a 10-inch pie plate or 9-inch deep dish pie plate and return to oven for 5 minutes more;

Cool on rack then chill in the refrigerator, covered. (It must be cold before adding the pie filling)

I love the way this smells when it comes out of the oven, all brown sugar buttery toasty. But you will have to wait until tomorrow to see what is gonna go in this fall harvest pie shell.

Mangia!!
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