Got Acorn Squash?

We get our organic produce through bountiful baskets to save money.  One week I got 3 acorn squash and I wanted to try something new with them.  I ran across a recipe for apple and acorn squash pie, yum, yum!!!  I had to modify it to make it gluten and dairy free, so I will post both the original and the modified recipes for you.  Try it, you will like it!

First off, if you are making your dessert dairy-free, make your sweetened condensed milk before you start your pie.  I found the recipe at www.godairyfree.com.


Dairy-Free Sweetened Condensed Milk (Makes 1 Cup):

• 3 cups coconut milk (or soy or rice but we used coconut and it was reallllly yummy!)
• 1/2 cup evaporated can sugar (or plain white if that's what you have)
• Vanilla Extract (make sure this is gluten-free if you need it to be)
• Salt

Add the milk and sugar to a sauce pan.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly (or just often, like me ;)), until the volume is reduced to 1 cup (this will take a long time!).  Add a few drops of vanilla to taste, and a pinch of salt.  Cool before using.  May be stored in the refrigerator.


Acorn Squash Pie Recipe (from www.thefreshdish.com)

• 2 whole acorn squash
• 4 tablespoons butter (we use a vegan butter so that there is no dairy)
• 1 cup evaporated milk (I just used the sweetened condensed milk recipe since that's what I could fine and it came out really yummy!)
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar (if you are using the dairy-free sweetened condense milk, reduce this to 3/4 or 1/2 cup)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. cardamom (skipped this)
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• A pinch of salt
• 1 granny smith or Macintosh apple

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Cut acorn squash in half lengthwise and scoop out seeds with a spoon.  Put 1 teaspoon of butter in each half.  Place cut side up (I've always done it down, but it's better up I've decided :)) in a baking dish with 2 cups of water and bake the squash for 1 hour until it is tender when you poke it with a fork.

Scoop the squash out of its skin and puree it in a blender or food processor (I used a blender but also blended in my condensed milk to make it creamy and blend easier).  Puree until very smooth.  In a bowl, combine the squash, eggs, evaporated milk (or dairy free condensed) sugar, vanilla extract and spices together than mix until combined well.

Peel and cut the apple in to 1/4 inch slices.  Arrange the slices into a circle around the bottom of a well-buttered glass pie dish OR use a crust and just put the apple straight in to the crust.  I did not use a crust but it would have been very yummy and pumpkin pie-ish.  Pour the filling over the apples until it almost reaches the top of the dish.  Bake for 1 hour or until a knife comes out clean.

Let the pie cook for about 20 minutes before cutting and sering.  You can eat it cold or hot.  Topping it with ice cream or whipped cream would be very yummy too!  ENJOY!