Pie: A Photo Essay

Today, your birthday,
A celebratory pie
Made with care, for you.

Step 1:  prepare the squash.

 It's a lovely squash, isn't it?

It always surprises me that there are so few seeds inside.

Scooping out squash icky bits is so much easier than scooping out pumpkin icky bits.

A lovely aluminum foil bed to steam the squash for 50 minutes. 

Poke it with a fork.  All done!

Scoop and mash.  Squash innards are all ready.

Step 2:  prepare the filling.  This is not a particularly fascinating step.  It involves the mashed squash, eggs, condensed milk, spices, brown sugar, and vanilla.

The filling is a beautiful color.  Make sure it's smooth.

Step 3:  prepare the crust.  (Note:  this step occurs concurrently with the steaming of the squash.)

Ingredients: flour, a touch of salt and sugar, shortening and butter

Mix until pea-sized crumbs form.

Add a bit of ice water, until the dough just clings together.

Prep the pie pan.  It's a pi pie pan, of course.  A bit of extra flour nearby, just in case.

Roll out the dough.  ACK, this is tricky.

Transfer to the pie pan.  EGADS, the edges!

There, that's a little better.  CRUST IS DIFFICULT.

Brush with a bit of beaten egg yolk.

Bake for 15 minutes to set.

Step 4:  assemble the pie.

Make sure the filling doesn't overflow.

Step 5:  bake the pie.  Watch it carefully to make sure the edges don't burn.

Beautiful.  

Ta-daaa.  

Happy birthday, our Cherished Friend.