Butternut Squash Pie

I usually have good luck with butternut squash in my garden, and it is one of my favorite crops to grow. It is easy, it grows well in our climate, and you can store it in a cool area in your house for several months without any kind of preservation, making it a blessing during that time when so much canning needs to be done.

The problem, of course, is how to use it. Butternut squash works in a variety of recipes; I use it in soup and in pasta for a little bit of extra nutrition.  However, I'm always looking for a great new recipe.

I just discovered and adapted this recipe for butternut squash pie, just in time for Thanksgiving. It has the flavor profile of a pumpkin pie, but it is just a bit milder in squash flavor. Additionally, the homemade version bakes up with more of a custard texture, meaning that it is sweet and creamy enough to make you want to forego any whipped topping. And, most important, the recipe is easy enough to make on a regular basis!

Butternut Squash Pie
1 single pie crust (you can omit this and just bake the custard, if you prefer)
1 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
4 1/2 tsp cornstarch
1 T ground cinnamon (to taste)
1/2 to 1 tsp ground cloves (to taste)
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg (to taste)
3 cups pureed cooked butternut squash
1/2 cup organic butter
2 large (free range) eggs
3 tsp vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350.  Cut the squashes lengthwise, scoop out seeds, and place face down in a pan with about an inch of water.  Bake until super-soft, about 45 minutes.  Scoop flesh from squash and puree with an immersion blender. Cream together with butter and vanilla.  (This is easier if  you put the butter in while the squash is slightly warm.)

Mix dry ingredients and use blender to mix them with squash mix.  Add the eggs and mix until smooth. (Be sure your puree is close to room temperature before you add the eggs.)

Pour into crust.  Bake for 15 minutes with edges covered with foil, then bake 50-60 minutes longer or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.  (You'll see that little divot that's visible in the pie above.)

Cool pie.  Refrigerate leftovers, if there are any!

The Analysis

Fast:  Slower than canned pumpkin pie filling, but worth the effort.

Cheap:  Well, the squash were free.  I can't say that this is a tremendous savings over canned pumpkin, but every little bit helps.

Good:  Fresh, local ingredients make for a truly special and nutritious pie!  (All that vitamin A from the squash!)

The Real Reason to Avoid Keurig

This week, the world has been treated to an intense internet debate over whether to boycott Keurig, the makers of the one cup at a time coffee makers. Frankly, I don't care one way or the other where they advertise or how, so this is, as the image would suggest, a non-political post.

However, the entire discussion got me to thinking, and I do believe we should avoid Keurig and coffee makers like it. But the reason has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with the environment and with how we treat our time.

Single cup coffee makers are a sustainability disaster. Requiring those little cups every time you make a serving of coffee, they are yet another way we've found of turning a simple, inexpensive beverage into an expensive ecological misstep.

Yes, I know that one can buy refillable "K cups," but waste is not the only problem with the single cup coffee makers. Not only do they create a waste problem that needs to be solved with a more sustainable retrofit, but they speed a process that's already very fast, creating a false economy of time saving that I find not worth it.  Is it nice to get a fresh cup of coffee in about three minutes? Of course. However, I can have an entire percolator full of fresh coffee in the time that it takes me to get ready for work, meaning there's enough there for a large thermos or a couple of cups in my office.

The idea that we need to save time at every possible juncture is problematic.  Lately, I've been thinking a lot about how hard we push ourselves to rush through things, and we are missing out on experiences that we might enjoy if they were savored. That marginal-quality cup of coffee delivered to you in three minutes is nothing compared to the aroma of coffee percolating on the stove and the taste of coffee made a more traditional way. It's a simple thing, but it is important.

This is not to say that I've never seen a place where a Keurig is a benefit. For one thing, hotel rooms that offer in-room coffee trade the ease of use and self-contained nature of the machine for the pitfalls of trying to put other kinds of coffee makers out for their guests.  There, it might make sense.

However, at home? I'm asking you to turn away from the Keurig, get some really high quality coffee beans and a percolator or French press, and treat yourself to a good cup of coffee to start your day. No Keurig advertising or lack thereof will change my mind.