Kabocha Pumpkin Buttermilk Pie with a Crème Fraîche Swirl {Gluten-Free}
Ultra creamy and gently spiced, this gluten-free pumpkin pie recipe gets its cheesecake-like tanginess from a generous dose of buttermilk and crème fraîche all wrapped up in a flaky crust.
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 325ºPlace the par-baked pie shell on a rimmed baking sheet optionally lined with parchment paper for easy clean-up. When you're nearly finished making the filling, heat the pie shell in the oven for 5-10 minutes to get it really hot; this helps keep the dough crisp in the face of wet filling.
Meanwhile, drain the kabocha squash puree by spreading it into a 1/4" thick layer on top of four paper towels. Top with four more paper towels and let stand 15 minutes; excess moisture will drain out of the squash.
Make the filling:
Place the maple sugar and vanilla bean seeds in a large bowl and rub the vanilla seeds into the sugar. Whisk in the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Whisk in the eggs and yolks until smooth. Peel the top layer of paper towels off of the kabocha puree, then lift up the bottom layers and let the puree peel off and into the bowl. Whisk in the kabocha puree until smooth. Whisk in the grated ginger and crème fraîche, and lastly the buttermilk. Whisk smooth, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve and into a bowl or measuring cup, pressing on the solids to extract all the good stuff.
Pour the filling into the hot pie crust. Dollop small dots of crème fraîche gently all over the top of the filling, placing it carefully so that it floats. Run a chopstick or skewer through the topping to swirl the crème fraîche.
Bake the pie at 325º until the edges are set and gently puffed and the inner 4 inches of pie wobble like jello, 50-60 minutes.
Let the pie cool completely, at least 2-4 hours. It will keep at cool room temperature for up to a day, or refrigerated for up to 5 days (though the crust will be crispest on the day of baking). Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Notes
A few notes on substitutions:If gluten isn't an issue, make this with a wheat-based crust (this one is my favorite) and use all-purpose flour in place of the sweet rice flour in the filling.In place of maple sugar, you could try this with 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 1/3 cup maple syrup.Feel free to trade in 1/4 teaspoon dried ground ginger if you don't have fresh, or a teaspoon of vanilla extract, or a bit of vanilla bean paste, if you don't have a bean.You can make your own crème fraîche by stirring together 1 cup heavy cream and 1 tablespoon buttermilk, letting the mixture sit at room temperature until thickened, 24 hours, stirring once or twice. Alternatively, use sour cream in its place. I think kefir would make a good buttermilk substitute if you couldn't find buttermilk.Pies such as these really shine when made with fresh squash puree, however canned pumpkin or butternut squash will probably work in a pinch. Kabochas are particularly dense-fleshed and sweet, but feel free to try different varieties of winter squash here such as butternut, red kuri, or hokkaido. To make your own squash puree, preheat the oven to 350ºF and position a rack in the center. Cut a large (2-3 pound) squash (I used the red-orange Sunshine variety but any type will do) into halves or quarters. Rub a rimmed baking sheet with light olive oil and place the squash cut-side down, leaving the seeds and strings in for now (they're easier to remove once the squash is cooked). Roast the squash until very tender and collapsing a bit, 45-60 minutes. Let cool, scrape out and discard the seeds and strings, and scoop the flesh out of the skin and into a food processor. Blend until very smooth, 1-2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Measure out what you need for the pie, and save the rest for another use.All ounce measurements are by weight.Nutritional values are based on one of ten servings.