Red kuri squash pie made from homemade puree

~~~~ How to make the red kuri squash puree ~~~~

Preheat oven to 350°F (180c; 160c fan).

Cut the squash in half through the stem end. Use a sturdy spoon to scoop out the seeds and guts, just like you would do with a pumpkin or butternut squash.

Place the squash halves open side down on a small baking sheet and slide into your oven to roast.

Cook, turning the baking sheet occasionally, until the flesh of the squash is soft. You should be able to poke the skin of the squash with the back of a fork and feel the flesh give way underneath. This could take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on the temp of your oven and the thickness of your squash. Mine took about 45 mins.

Let the squash cool (5-10 mins, usually).

Some people might blend it in a food mixer now (which you might want to do). But your cooked squash should be soft enough that it falls apart, and you can puree it in a bowl with the back of a spoon.

For this recipe you want two cups of puree. Equivalent to about 500-550 grams.

~~~~ How to make the pie ~~~~

Get a deep-dish springform pie pan. Line with butter. Then cut out a circle of baking paper for the base, and lay it in the pan. Pop the pan in the fridge while you're doing other steps (30 mins or more in the fridge is good).

Remove your ready-made shortcrust pastry sheet. Read the instructions for use. You're not going to use the pastry yet, but these products typically need to be removed 45 mins before rolling, so factor that in to your plan.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180c; 160c fan). Put a baking stone (or pizza stone) in there to warm up, if you have one. This will reduce the chance of a soggy bottom.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Mix in the brown sugar (110g), white sugar (70g), salt (1 tsp), cinnamon (2 tsp), ground ginger (1 tsp), nutmeg (1/4 tsp), ground cloves (1/4 tsp), cardamom (1/8 tsp), and lemon zest (1/2 tsp).

Mix in the pumpkin purée.

Assemble the pastry in your tin. Then chill again in the fridge for 10 mins.

Pour the filling into the pan. Bake in the oven at a high temperature of 425°F (220c; 200c fan) for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, lower the temperature to 350°F (180c; 160c fan). The pie is done when a knife tip inserted in the centre comes out wet but relatively clean. The centre should be just barely jiggly. This will take 50 to 60 minutes more (that's in addition to the first 15 minutes).

The pumpkin pie will come out of the oven all puffed up, and will deflate as it cools. Cool the pumpkin pie to room temperature on a wire rack for 2 hours.

Here's a few photos of the pie.