Awesome Pumpkin Pie from Galeux D'Eysines

Every Thanksgiving I make a pumpkin pie but my twist on the classic recipe is to substitute a winter squash grown in my garden for the pumpkin in the ingredient list.  In my opinion, a pie made with fresh winter squash leaves pie made with canned pumpkin in the dust.

In prior years, I've used Butternut and Boston Marrow squashes and have been very pleased with the results.  The Butternut produced the sweeter of the two pies and it was also closer in texture to "traditional" pumpkin pie.  If you don't have home-grown squash, you can find Butternut and other suitable varieties at a farmers market or even your local grocery.

Galeux D'Eysines Pumpkin Pie

This year, I'm going to use a winter squash called Brode Galeux D'Eysines.  This heirloom variety dates back to late 19th century France and the name translates to -- embroidered with warts from Eysines (a town in Southern France located just outside of Bordeaux).

As you can see below, it's unusual looking to say the least. (Darn homely in my opinion)  Galeux D'Eysines grow to 10-15 pounds in weight, are pinkish-orange in color, and are characterized by many peanut-shaped "warts" on the skin.  These warts are caused by sugars within the squash and are natural to the variety.  Galeux D'Eysines are famous for their smooth, almost velvety texture and are generally used to make soups.  However, the same characteristics make them excellent for pie.

I tried to do a little research on the Galeux D'Eysines but turned up very little other than the translation of it's name and the fact that this variety is mentioned in Les Plantes Potageres (A catalog of vegetables with magnificent illustrations published by Vilmorin's in France in 1850)

Illustration from Les Plantes Potageres as re-published by Taschen

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

This recipe is taken from AllRecipes.com.  Its very simple to make and the pie is truly wonderful. Just substitute whatever variety of Winter squash you like for the Butternut squash in the ingredient list.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
• 1 cup lightly packed brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup evaporated milk
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground allspice
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1 pinch ground ginger
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell

Recipe:

1. Place squash in a saucepan with enough water to cover. Bring to a boil, and simmer over medium heat until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, and cool.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
3. In a blender or food processor, combine butternut squash, brown sugar, cornstarch, egg, milk, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Process until smooth. Pour into the unbaked pie shell.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes, or until a table knife comes out clean when inserted in the center.

Growing Galeux D'Eysines

If you would like to grow this unusual heirloom squash, you can buy seeds from a variety of sources including Territorial Seed and Baker Creek. Growing instructions for this variety are similar to that of other Winter squash and pumpkins:

• Sow 1 inch deep and about 3 feet apart.  Like other vining squash, Galeux D'Eysines need a lot of room to grow.
  
• Plant in full sun about 3 weeks after your last frost date.
• Water regularly.
• Seeds germinate in 5-10 days.
• Harvest in 100-120 days.  You'll know the squash is ready when the color of the stem connecting the squash to the rest of the vine turns from green to a tan color.
• Cure in a cool place for 2 weeks prior to using.

Warm wishes to you and your family this Thanskgiving from PlanterTomato.