New England Squash Pie

The Recipe

by volume                                                  by weight

1 can squash puree (15 oz)              420 grams squash puree

1/2 cup sugar                                         99 grams sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt                                 2 grams salt

1 teaspoon ginger                               6 grams ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg                        2 grams nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon                   2 grams cinnamon

2 large eggs                                           136 grams eggs

1½ cups half and half                        360 grams half and half

9″ unbaked pie shell

 

Directions

Heat the oven to 350F. Mix all the dry ingredients together and whisk to combine. Mix this with the squash puree until thoroughly combined. Add the eggs and mix completely. Finally, add the half and half and mix just to combine. Put the filling in a large measuring cup or pitcher to make it easy to pour. Place the unbaked pie shell on a sheet pan in the oven. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for approximately 45 minutes. The pie is done when the middle is set and no longer jiggles. This may take a few more minutes or it may be done a bit earlier depending on your oven. Just be sure the pie is removed from the oven as soon as it is set so the filling doesn’t crack.

Classic Pecan Pie

The Recipe

by volume                                                      by weight

3 large eggs                                               204 grams egg

1/2 cup sugar                                             99 grams sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt                                     1 gram salt

1 cup corn syrup                                      340 grams corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla                              2 grams vanilla

1½ cups pecan halves or pieces     110 grams pecan halves or pieces

9″ unbaked pie shell

 

Directions

Heat the oven to 350F. Beat the eggs, sugar, salt, corn syrup, and vanilla together until thoroughly combined. Don’t beat too vigorously or air will be incorporated into the filling and a foam will form on top. If this happens, let the mixture sit until the foam dissipates. If you don’t, the top of the pie will form a crust when baked that makes it more difficult to cut cleanly. Put the filling in a large measuring cup or pitcher with a spout so it will pour easily.

Sprinkle the pecans into the unbaked pie shell. Place the pie shell on a baking sheet and in the oven. Fill the pie in the oven so you don’t have to move the pie once it’s filled. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the middle of the pie is completely set. The baking time is highly dependent on the temperature of your oven. If the pie is not set in the middle, continue to bake until it is. Otherwise, the center of the pie will be runny! It may be necessary to turn the oven temperature down or even cover the top of the pie with foil to keep it from browning too much.

New England Pumpkin Pie

The Recipe

by volume                                                       by weight

1 can pumpkin puree (15oz)                420 grams pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon cornstarch                      27 grams cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon                        3 grams cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger                               2 grams ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg                            2 grams nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt                                     2 grams salt

1½ teaspoons melted butter             7 grams melted butter

1½ cups half and half                            360 grams half and half

1 cup sugar                                                 198 grams sugar

2 tablespoons molasses                     30 grams molasses

2 large eggs                                               136 grams egg

9″ unbaked pie shell

Directions

Heat oven to 350F. Combine all of the dry ingredients and whisk together to combine.  Add to the pumpkin puree and mix until incorporated. Stir in the melted butter and molasses. Add the eggs and mix until thoroughly combined. Finally, stir in the half and half just to incorporate. Put the filling in a large measuring cup or pitcher to make it easy to pour.

Place the unbaked pie shell on a baking sheet and in the oven. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for 50 minutes. The pie should just be set in the middle. If this happens a bit sooner than 50 minutes, take the pie out of the oven. Overbaking will cause a crack to form in the middle of the pie. If it takes a few minutes longer, that’s ok too. Just make sure the pie comes out of the oven as soon as it’s set in the middle.

Coconut Cream Pie

The Recipe

by volume                                                       by weight

2/3 cup sugar                                             132 grams sugar

1/3 cup cornstarch                                  48 grams cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon salt                                      2 grams salt

3 cups milk                                                  720 grams milk

4 large egg yolks                                      72 grams egg yolk

3 tablespoons butter                             42 grams butter

1 tablespoon vanilla                                12 grams vanilla

1½ cups shredded coconut               90 grams shredded coconut

9″ fully baked pie shell

 

Directions

Whisk half of the sugar with the cornstarch and salt to combine. Add the egg yolks and whisk to thoroughly incorporate.

Heat the milk with the remaining sugar until it almost reaches a boil. Pour half of the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking and then add the egg mixture back to the milk still in the pan. Return to the stove and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Boil and whisk for 1 minute.

Remove from the heat and add the butter, vanilla, and coconut. Pour the hot filling into a completely baked 9″ pie shell. Press plastic wrap on the surface of the pie to prevent a thick skin from forming. Cool completely.

When ready to serve the pie, cover the top with lightly sweetened whipped cream and decorate with additional toasted coconut if desired. Keep refrigerated.

Buttermilk Pie

The Recipe

by volume                                                             by weight

9 tablespoons soft butter                         126 grams soft butter

1½ cups sugar                                                 297 grams sugar

3 large egg yolks                                            54 grams egg yolk

4 tablespoons all purpose flour              30 grams all purpose flour

4 teaspoons lemon juice                            17 grams lemon juice

1 teaspoon nutmeg                                      4 grams nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt                                               4 grams salt

1½ cups buttermilk                                      360 grams buttermilk

3 large egg whites                                        150 grams egg whites

9″ fully baked pie shell

 

Directions

Heat the oven to 350F. Mix the butter and sugar together until combined. Add the egg yolk and mix until incorporated. Add the flour, lemon juice, nutmeg, and salt and mix just to combine. Add the buttermilk in a steady stream and whisk to fully homogenize the mixture. Whip the egg whites to soft peaks and fold into the buttermilk mixture. Pour the filling into a fully baked pie shell and bake for 45 minutes until the middle of the pie is just set.