Grain-Free Butternut Squash Pie with Pecan-Crumble Crust

My good friend had a butternut squash pie making craze last year, and while he seems to now be over that caramelly, cinnamon-y flavor, I'm still stuck on it. 

What I needed though, to really make the ultimate butternut squash pie, was an alternate crust. I've always been partial to graham cracker crusts (the kind you find on many cheesecakes) but wanted to keep this recipe from-scratch and grain-free.

Pondering this crust dilemma brought me to pecans. It wasn't sure pecans would work in place of graham crackers, but I had a hunch. I was nervous about it, putting the pie into the oven. A few friends stopped by and I explained to them it was just an experiment and could go terribly wrong. 

Out of the oven it came and I was, even then, a little nervous. I took pictures, serving everyone else, and then grabbed the last piece for myself, topping it with an oversized dollop of whipped cream.

It was my butternut-pie-making-friend who said it first: a crust made of pecans is like a butternut pie inside of a pecan pie. A custardy filling nestled inside a crunchy, sweet, nutty shell. The butter and sugar caramelized in the oven while the pecans toasted, making something so delicious it stole the show, even from the pie filling itself. 

In this pie, crust is no longer just a vehicle for transporting filling. It's a part of the experience, as must as every other ingredient. 

Grain-Free Butternut Squash Pie with Pecan-Crumble Crust

Published December 15, 2017 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 8   |    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

---

Ingredients:

For the crust:
• 2 cups pecans 
• 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar or coconut sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

For the filling:
• 10 ounces frozen cubed butternut squash, thawed
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar or coconut sugar
• 1/4 cup wildflower honey
• 2/3 cup half-and-half 
• 1-1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon butter, melted 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

To serve:
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F, and grease an 9-inch ceramic or glass pie pan .
2. Put pecans in a food processor and pulse to grind them into a fine crumb. Scrape sides frequently to ensure even chopping. Few larger chunks should remain (several are ok but for the most part you are looking for an even, fine crumb). Scrape pecan crumbs into a bowl, and add sugar and melted butter. Use a spatula to stir until everything is combined and crumb should stick together when squeezed between two fingers. Now, press crumb mixture into prepared pie pan, working it up the sides and into an even layer along the bottom to form a crust. Tip: use the flat bottom of a glass to make a smooth bottom. Make sure there are no gaps or cracks, and then set aside.
3. In a blender, combine: thawed butternut squash, sugar, honey, half-and-half, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Puree until completely smooth, scraping sides down as needed. Then, allow mixture to rest for 5 minutes so any air bubbles have time to float to the top.
4. Pour butternut mixture into prepared pie shell, filling it until almost—but not quite- full (shoot for 90-95% full). Place in oven and bake for 45-55 minutes, until custard filling jiggles slightly in the middle but not at the edges. Turn heat off, and allow pie to cook in oven with the door open for 10-15 minutes. This super slow cooling method will prevent the custard filling from cracking.
5. While the pie cools, make the whipped cream. Add heavy cream to a bowl and whip with an electric mixture until it beings to hold peaks. Add vanilla, and beat 30 more seconds.
6. Serve pie with dollops of whipped cream (ice cream would be good as well!).

Crustless Spinach, Artichoke & Aged Cheddar Quiche

Update: This recipe has new photos as of 3/22/2019. Same recipe! :)

I am making a resolution right now, today. Will you join me? I'm resolving to have brunch more often. 

I recently looked at my calendar and realized a year ago, some of my closest friends had come over for a spring brunch and I had actually said, "We should do this every season. Like spring brunch, summer brunch-picnic, fall brunch, and winter brunch." They all nodded in agreement, delirious on mimosas, coffee, or maybe just morning air. It was settled. We were going to brunch more.

That was a year ago, and now I'm looking back thinking, what happened?? Brunch slipped through my fingers, as I got caught up in life and forgot the glory that is late morning. The smell of freshly brewed coffee? A plate full of quiche? Morning light trickling through a big window? All of these things make my heart sing. So this is my ode to brunch, and my resolution to brunch more: Spinach, Artichoke & Aged Cheddar Crustless Quiche.

Maybe with it written down, I'll actually make it happen. Will you brunch with me? For you, for your mornings? Just think of the late morning sun. 

Crustless Spinach, Artichoke & Aged Cheddar Quiche

Published February 15, 2016 by Caitlin Sherwood

Serves: 6   |    Active Time: 60 minutes

---

Ingredients:

9 eggs

1 cup milk

1/2 cup aged white cheddar cheese, shredded

1/2 pound frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 can artichoke hearts, strained

1/2 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon coconut oil

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a pie pan, or line one with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Chopped artichoke hearts. Place artichokes and spinach in a mesh sieve and press the excess water out as best you can. This will help the quiche set. Place strained spinach and artichokes in a bowl.
3. Now, heat the coconut oil over medium heat in a skillet and sauté the diced onion and minced garlic until the onion is translucent. Use a spatula to scrape onions and garlic into bowl with spinach. Stir mixture until onion is well distributed, then sprinkle the mixture into the pie pan, in an even layer.
4. Next, sprinkle the cheese mixture in the pie pan in an even layer.
5. Whisk the eggs and milk until frothy. Add a sprinkle of salt and a few cracks of pepper. Pour mixture over filling in pie pan, ensuring there is egg mixture filling all spaces.
6. Place in middle wrack of oven and bake until golden and puffy, about 45 minutes. Center should be set and there should be no runny eggs. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.

Baking Season Essentials: Paleo Pie Crust

View fullsize

It's December. Yup, just like that--December. Most of the time I get to a new month and think "Wow, I can't believe it's ______ already!" but this month, I'm ready. Bring on the winter wonderland. I'll just cuddle up in this little house baking all weekend. 

First up: pie! Pie is an essential to any bakers repertoire, no matter how you slice it (ha!). Making the perfect pie crust is the bane of many baker's kitchen life, and making a pie crust that's also paleo is even rougher. I can still hear my dad scoffing as I pull out a food processor to make pie crust. "The butter gets all warm!" he would say, pulling out the pastry cutter and a chilled bowl. Hmph. 

Well, paleo bakers, I'm here to say: "Rejoice! The food processor is in!" and this crust will go from start to finish in 20 minutes flat. It comes out of a pie dish beautifully and while you might not expect a nut-based crust to stick together, this one holds solid. You could eat a slice of this buttery crust sans-plate, if you were really desperate.  

Almond Flour Pie Crust

Paleo, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free    |   Caitlin Sherwood    

A simple, easy pie crust for any type of pie.

Serves: N/A    |    Total Active Time: 25 minutes

---

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups almond flour
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• pinch salt
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, cold + more for greasing the pie pan
• 1 egg

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. In your food processor, pulse the almond flour, coconut flour and salt together until well distributed and no coconut flour clumps remain. (Do not over-process, it will turn into nut butter!)
2. Add the coconut oil and egg. Pulse the food processor for several more minutes, until all of the oil and egg are incorporated and the dough turns into a loose crumb (depending on the temperature of your kitchen, it may also form a ball).
3. Grease a 9-inch pie pan with coconut oil. Press the dough into the pan, to form a 1/8 inch thin layer, working the dough up the sides of the pan. (Tip: use a smooth water glass or jar to roll out the dough in the bottom of the pan. Use your fingers to shape the scallops around the edge of the pie). Tip: alternatively, roll the dough out between 2 pieces of parchement paper until it's a 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch thick. Place in fridge for 5 minutes. Then, peel off top piece of parchment and transfer dough into pie pan, fitting to pan. For top crust, repeat the same process but shape top crust as desired after removing from fridge (cut strips for lattice, use a cookie cutter, etc).
4. Place the crust in the middle wrack of your oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, or until just golden.