Pumpkin Pie with Mascarpone

Confession: I've always liked the idea of pumpkin pie better than pumpkin pie itself. A wedge of deep-orange pie, neatly sliced and dolloped with fresh whipped cream to cap off Thanksgiving dinner--what could be better? Nothing, except a cold piece the next morning, washed down with hot coffee. I so want to love it.

In reality, pumpkin pie can have some unappealing attributes (well, who doesn't?). It often tastes of canned pumpkin, with an aggressive overlay of spices. It's grainy in texture, sometimes even gritty from all those spices. It's…wet. It has a soggy crust. In fact, I rarely make pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. Instead, for years I’ve made Rose Levy Berambaum's recipe for pumpkin cheesecake, published in Fine Cooking back in 1999.

But recently it occurred to me that adding mascarpone might be the answer to my issues with pumpkin pie. I remembered that mascarpone had quite nicely resolved similar longstanding issues I had with ricotta crostata. So I gave it a try.

Also, I didn't actually use pumpkin, canned or otherwise. I used roasted red kuri squash, a squat, bright orange variety with dense, smooth, sweet orange flesh. It's not fibrous and it makes a rich pumpkin pie filling. (Buttercup and kabocha, similar varieties except with a hard green rind, are equally good.) And I toned down the spices. I like and want to taste the flavor of the squash.

Finally, I used an all-butter pie crust (an old Betty Crocker recipe, tweaked by me over the years). So there you have it, perfect pumpkin pie. Or nearly perfect. After I posted a picture of it on Instagram, someone commented that they spike their pumpkin pie filling with bourbon. Head slap. We're getting there.

PUMPKIN PIE WITH MASCARPONE
Makes one 9-inch pie

Ingredients
1 (9-inch) pie crust, chilled
1 1/2 cups pureed roasted red kuri, kabocha or buttercup squash, cooled (see NOTE)
1 packed cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated (or ground) nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup (8 ounces) mascarpone, homemade or store-bought
Freshly whipped cream for serving

Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 375° F.

2. With an electric mixer, beat together the squash puree and light brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, then the lemon juice, vanilla extract, spices and salt. Add the mascarpone and beat until smooth. Pour the mixture into the chilled pie crust.

3. Bake the pie until the filling is puffed up slightly around the rim and set in the middle, about 1 hour. Transfer the pie to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature. Just before serving, dollop a mound of whipped cream into the center of the pie.

NOTE: To roast red kuri or other winter squash, cut the squash in half. Brush it very lightly with sunflower or vegetable oil and set it cut-side-down on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast in a preheated 375° F oven for 45 to 60 minutes, until completely tender. Let cool, then scoop out the flesh and mash until smooth.