Kabocha Pie

Fall is here and with the colder season comes the plethora of pumpkin-spiced beverages and most importantly, pumpkin pie. I never really understood why pumpkin pie is considered the defacto dessert item at Thanksgiving tables around this time of year, so I decided to add my own twist to the classic item by replacing the pumpkin with kabocha and replacing the pumpkin pie spice with Chinese five-spice instead!

What is kabocha?

Kabocha is a Japanese winter squash that is used in various Japanese and Korean dishes. It has a sweet flavor profile, almost like to a sweet potato and a wonderfully nutty flavor. In short, it tastes like a sweet potato and chestnut combined. They’re usually seen steamed, roasted, or fried in tempura.

What is chinese five-spice?

Chinese five-spice consists of 5 different spices (Chinese cinnamon, anise, clove, fennel, and ginger) and has an almost licorice-like flavor that is both cooling and pleasantly warming at the same time. It’s a wonderful flavor to pair with the cool fall air! It’s more assertive than pumpkin spice, bringing with it more heat and less sweetness than you would expect from the usual pumpkin spice.

I’ve found that Chinese five-spice makes for a great substitute in most places where pumpkin spice can be found. Chinese five-spice latte anyone?

Where can I find chinese five-spice?

Chinese five-spice can be found in most Asian supermarkets, sometimes in little sachels, and I have found that it is also readily available in most large American grocery stores as well! If you cant find them there, don’t fret as it’s relatively easy to mix together these five spices yourself at home, and this provides you with the opportunity to load up more on one particular spice if desired!

Kabocha Pie

ryanllee FacebookTweetPin Fall is here and with the colder season comes the plethora of pumpkin-spiced beverages and most importantly, pumpkin pie. I never… Recipes Kabocha Pie European Print This

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking Time: 60 minutes 60 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 1 voted )

Ingredients

• 2 cups pureed kabocha (under 2lbs)
• 1 can (12oz) evaporated milk
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 2 tsp Chinese five-spice
• pinch of salt
• 1 egg white
• 1 tsp water
• 1 deep dish 9in pie crust

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Cover the entire pie crust pan with foil and place pie weights over it
3. Blind bake the covered pie crust for 30 minutes
4. In a small bowl, combine the egg white with 1tsp of water and mix to combine
5. Once the pie is done, brush the inside of the crust with the egg wash (be sure to not brush the outside crust)
6. Then bake for another 5 minutes
7. Remove from oven and preheat oven to 400F
8. In a large bowl, combine the pureed kabocha with the egg yolks and egg
9. Then mix in the granulated and brown sugar, Chinese five-spice, and salt
10. Then slowly stir in the evaporated milk
11. Pour the kabocha filling into the prebaked pie shell and bake at 400F for 15 minutes
12. Lower the heat to 350F and continue to bake for another 45 minutes or until the center is just barely set
13. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30-45 minutes before serving