Butternut Bourbon Cream Pie

Ingredients

For the Crust:

• 1 ½ cup rolled oats (or whole wheat flour)
• ½ cup pecans
• ⅛ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• ¼ tsp. ginger
• ½ cup coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
• 6 Tbsp. softened butter<br>

For the Filling:

• 2 ¾ cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• ⅓ cup organic cornstarch
• ½ cup granulated cane sugar
• ¾ cup butternut squash purée
• ¼ tsp. cardamom
• ¼ tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 Tbsp. butter

For the Whipped Topping:

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 Tbsp. bourbon
• 2 Tbsp. confectioner’s sugar

For the Crispy Topping:

• ¼ cup pumpkin seeds
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch cinnamon

Instructions

1. 1
   To make the crust, place all the dry ingredients in the food processor and pulse until fine. Add the butter and process until a crumbly mixture is obtained. Press this into a buttered 9-inch pie plate. Prick the bottom with a fork and bake in a 350F oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely before filling.
2. 2
   To make the filling, whisk the cornstarch, sugar, cardamom, and nutmeg together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. In a blender, place the butternut squash purée, milk, eggs and egg yolk and blend until smooth. Slowly pour half the liquid mixture into the saucepan and whisk well to integrate the cornstarch mixture into the liquid mixture. Pour the remaining liquid mixture and whisk well. Warm on medium-low heat and whisk continuously. When the mixture begins to thicken, whisk vigorously to avoid lumps. The mixture will thicken into a custard very quickly so don’t walk away from it, keep stirring at all times. Once it begins to thicken, cook for an additional 2 minutes and remove from heat. If there are lumps, pour the custard through a fine mesh sieve to remove them, using a rubber spatula to help push the custard through the sieve. Chill the custard in the fridge for about 2 hours, with a plate or plastic wrap placed directly on top of the custard to avoid a skin forming on the top.
3. 3
   Pour the cooled custard into the cooled pie crust. To make the topping, whip the cream and then whisk in the sugar and bourbon. Toast the pumpkin seeds and all the crispy topping ingredients in a small pan over medium heat until sizzling and golden. Allow to cool. Pour the whipped cream on top of the butternut custard and garnish with the toasted pumpkin seeds. Can be made up to 24 hours ahead and kept in the fridge. Serve cold.