Step Up Your Pie Game This Season With Meringue Topped Sweet Squash Pie

This delicious recipe is guaranteed to be a hit at your next holiday gathering.  A creamy, silken layer of rich, sweet squash filling is delicately spiced and fills a buttery flaky crust.  The pie is well complimented by a pillowy topping of sweetened torched meringue that looks stunning with its beautifully browned peaks and swirls.

FOR THE PIE

•  2 cups cooked sweet squash like Amber Cup, Red Kuri, or Golden Nugget
•  Single Pie Crust, plus flour for rolling out dough
•  2 large eggs, lightly beaten
•  1/2 cup whole milk
•  1/2 cup heavy cream
•  1/3 cup granulated sugar
•  1/4 cup light brown sugar
•  1/2 tsp salt
•  1/2 tsp nutmeg
•  1 tsp vanilla extract

FOR THE MERINGUE

•  3 large egg whites
•  pinch of salt
•  1/4 tsp cream of tartar
•  1/2 cup granulated sugar

TOOLS REQUIRED FOR THE JOB

•  9″ pie plate
•  rolling pin
•  pie crust shield or tin foil
•  cooling rack
•  culinary torch or oven
•  food processor
•  hand mixer
•  spatula
•  large mixing bowls
•  cookie sheet

Step One:

To cook the squash, cut the squash in half, remove seeds, and place on cookie sheet.  Bake for an hour at 350˚ F until soft.  Make and refrigerate your dough while the squash cools.  Preheat oven to 375˚.

Step Two:

Measure squash and place into a food processor with eggs, milk, cream, sugars, salt, nutmeg, and vanilla and pulse until smooth and creamy.  Using a 9″ pie plate, roll out and prepare your crust, then fill with the squash mixture.  Protect the edges with a pie crust protector or foil strips.  Bake for 50-55 minutes until the filing seems set, but jiggles just slightly and is at least 175˚ when a thermometer is inserted in the center.  Place on cooling rack until completely cool, about 2 1/2 hours.

Step Three:

In a large bowl, mix egg whites, salt, and cream of tartar with a hand mixer on low speed until foamy.  Increase speed to high and add the sugar slowly.  Beat on high speed about 4-5 minutes until stiff glossy peaks form.

Step Four:

Spoon mixture on top of cooled pie and spread to desired texture.  Spiky peaks make a dramatic effect, but swirls look equally beautiful and enticing. Using a culinary torch on medium flame, gently brown the meringue evenly across the top, or broil for about 45 seconds with the oven’s heat source at least 7 inches away from the top of the pie, keeping a close eye on it.

Step Five:

Eat, or refrigerate immediately.  The completed pie can be refrigerated up to two days.

Notes & Tips

** To shorten your prep time, the squash can be baked the night before, and pie crust chilling in the refrigerator overnight.
** Please note that the eggs whites in the meringue are not fully cooked.
** The meringue will firm up in the refrigerator after being torched, and creates almost a thick whipped cream texture that sets nicely for serving.