Zucchini Pie

If you’ve never made mock apple pie from zucchini, you’re in for a surprise: it really does taste like apple pie. The trick is the cream of tartar, which adds the tartness that zucchini alone can’t provide, while cinnamon and brown sugar carry the rest of the apple-pie flavor profile. Cooked zucchini, peeled and seeded, has a soft texture that mimics baked apple slices almost perfectly.

This is the recipe to keep in your back pocket for late summer when the garden is producing two-pound zucchinis and you’ve already made bread, fritters, and ratatouille. Peel the squash, slice into rounds, parboil briefly in salt water to soften, then dump into a sweet-spiced syrup and into a pie shell. The streusel topping (just sugar, flour, and butter) bakes into a craggy golden crown.

Don’t skip the seeding step. Zucchini seeds turn mushy and grainy when baked into a sweet pie; seedless slices cook into clean apple-like wedges.

Pro Tips

• Use medium zucchini, not the giant overgrown ones. Big squash has tougher skin and developed seeds; smaller zucchini gives the best texture.
• Parboil briefly, just until the slices flex easily. Overcooked zucchini turns to mush; undercooked stays squeaky in the pie.
• The cream of tartar is essential. It’s the secret weapon that makes the zucchini taste like tart apples; don’t skip it.
• Bake until the streusel is deep golden and the filling bubbles around the edges; the slices should be tender all the way through.

Variations

• Add 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice for an even brighter, more apple-like tartness.
• Stir in ¼ cup raisins or chopped walnuts to the filling for added texture and depth.
• Sub a graham cracker crust for the pastry shell for a sweeter, no-roll base.