This week my American friends will celebrate Thanksgiving. For me, it is but a distant memory. My family feasted on a turkey-less supper and the menu was packed with pumpkin, squash, and sweet potato. It was low-key and light on meat, just the way I like to eat. For dessert, I gussied up our family favourite kuri squash pie with toasted meringue topping for a festive look.
The pie was made with a gingersnap crumb crust. I roasted a kuri squash and made a thick puree from the flesh and skin. Part of the appeal of this squash is that the skin is so thin it is edible! The other reason is of course its incomparable taste. That hint of nutty chestnut flavour is my favourite. You can find out more about how to make this pie when I first started this family tradition years ago.
What was special about this year was the addition of toasted meringue topping. I happened to have some Italian meringue already made for a different project. In my last trip to NYC, I bought a St. Honoré piping tip. This specialty tip is used to pipe the distinctive shape for the crème chiboust filling. Since I successfully made a croquembouche, gateau St. Honoré has been on my to-do list. But first, I need to learn to use this piping tip. Thanksgiving pie was my handy practice canvas.
I practiced a few times on a dinner plate and the result looked okay. It was a little tricky. I needed to have better control of when to release pressure so each petal ended cleanly. When I tried to pipe on the squash custard filling, it was a whole different challenge. Since I did not have the hard surface of a plate to drag the piping tip, I had a hard time piping any clean shape. I guess that was why I need to practice!
I roughly piped a ring of meringue petals on the pie. It looked…okay. Far from acceptable but at least it was a recognizable pattern. A kiss from the blow torch added some lovely colour and delicious caramel taste. The pie looked beautiful and fit in perfectly with the harvest theme of Thanksgiving. To be honest, I would much rather pile on a huge mountain of fluffy meringue so every bite of the luscious squash custard would be complemented.
Happy Thanksgiving! Let the feasting season begin!
More on Thanksgiving at Dessert By Candy:
- cutest dinner rolls ever
- turkey feast with all the trimmings but not eaten on Thanksgiving
- slow cooker turkey breast
- brunch menu using leftovers
- what I cooked way back when I was young and foolish
- still one of my favourite apple pies
- my family’s favourite ginger not-pumpkin pie
- my family’s favourite cranberry sauce
- how we like our stuffing
- an unusual turkey sandwich
- what to serve to the kiddies
