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If Autumn were a pie it would have some of my favorite ingredients.

• 1 crisp autumn breeze
• 1 cup orange and yellow leaves(maple, preferably)
• 1 warm wool sweater, not too hot
• 3 children jumping in leaves
• 1 trip to the farmer’s market
• cinnamon to taste

Hmm, but how to serve that pie?  Well, we made one tonight that captures the feel of my whimsical fall pie.  We found it in our new favorite baking book, Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.  Already smitten with butternut squash, we felt more than willing to give this less common(okay, I’ve never heard of anything like it) pie a try.  We knew by the ingredients-the squash, pears, dried cranberries, orange zest-that it was going to be good.  But until we took the first bite………

Oh, sorry, I was still thinking about that first bite.

This pie is a beautiful thing.  I see the future of this pie on our table next fall, and then the fall after that, and then the fall after that….

Depths of Fall Butternut Squash Pie
recipe from Baking from My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan

• Pie Dough from book or store bought crust(such as pillsbury)
• 1  1/4 pounds(2 cups) cubed(1 inch), peeled butternut squash
• 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1/2 cup moist, plump dried fruit, such as cranberries, raisins, or finely chopped diced apple or pears
• 1/2 cup(packed) light brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• Grated zest of 1/2 orange
• 2 tbs fresh orange juice
• 1/3 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 2 tbs plain dry bread crumbs
• sugar, for dusting

To make piecrust-Follow directions in book, use your own recipe for double crust pie, or thaw store bought.

Getting Ready to Bake-

• Position rack in lower third of oven.
• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
• Pre-cook the squash in a microwave or steamer until almost cooked through. Pat it dry and toss into a large bowl.

• Add the remaining ingredients.

• Then turn them gently with a large rubber spatula (and a four year old if you’ve got one) to blend.
• Let the filling sit for 5 min. or so to give the sugar time to melt, then gently mix again.

• Coat the pie plate with a little bit of butter or margarine and place the ingredients into the pie plate. Then level it out and set it aside.

• Lay your pie crust over the top, trim and pinch into shape. Then make four slits with a sharp knife on the top. We used a cookie cutter for a more creative touch on ours.

• Then lightly brush the pie crust with water and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and juices from the pie bubble up through the slits in the center of the pie. Note: If the edges of your crust begin to brown before the pie is ready, cover the edges with foil leaving the center/top uncovered. This will prevent it from browning more and allow the rest of the pie to finish cooking.

• Serve with a little scoop of cinnamon ice cream and watch it disappear!

Notes: You might have noticed our version only used a top crust instead of a double.  We really liked it with the single, the crust didn’t overpower the amazing flavor of the filling.  Not finding an orange in the fridge, we used orange juice from the carton and skipped the zest.  Though the zest will be great next time, this worked in a pinch and no one refused their pie because of it.  If you don’t have an orange, but do have the rest of the ingredients, make the pie!

To make this pie dairy free, use a crust that is made with shortening, use dairy free margarine or cooking spray to coat the pan, and serve with dairy free ice cream.