Kitchen

[Lisa now in AZ]

I am on a low carb plan and I keep seeing this as a substitute for apples in apple pies, etc. Has anyone tried it and is it any good? They were on sale this week, so I just bought one to try it out. I thought I might slice it, boil it, and mix in some sugar alternatives, spices and butter and see if that tastes like a good dessert. If that works, I will try one of the apple pie recipes. Thanks!

LOL - there are some carb replacements that are widely suggested, but I am never going to eat a radish and think I am having a potato! So, before I make a whole "apple" pie, I want to see if it is worth it.

[blueroses47]

I'm not at all familiar with chayote squash, but I used zucchini twice in baked goods, with very good results.

One recipe I made several times and really liked it, a zucchini cobbler.

The other one was just substituting zucchini for apples in a pie.  I would have preferred it to be a lot sweeter, I can't remember what sweetener I used at the time but it needed more.  It did have an almost identical texture to apples, though, and it looked just like apple pie.  Appearance alone could have fooled anyone.

I don't know if zucchini is something that would comply with your diet, and I'm not being helpful about the chayote squash, but I think it would probably work well.

[Lisa now in AZ]

Thanks, and zucchini is fine. I will try that if the chayote doesn't work (and even if it does!). Thanks for the suggestion.

[Scooby Doo]

the chayote has a mild taste that balances between apple and cucumber with a jicama-like fresh crispiness

Hmmm    Interesting

[SharkE]

at first glance thought i was seeing coyote.............LOL

106' here I must be disoriented. LOL

[shoesnbags]

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@Lisa now in AZ wrote:

I am on a low carb plan and I keep seeing this as a substitute for apples in apple pies, etc. Has anyone tried it and is it any good? They were on sale this week, so I just bought one to try it out. I thought I might slice it, boil it, and mix in some sugar alternatives, spices and butter and see if that tastes like a good dessert. If that works, I will try one of the apple pie recipes. Thanks!

LOL - there are some carb replacements that are widely suggested, but I am never going to eat a radish and think I am having a potato! So, before I make a whole "apple" pie, I want to see if it is worth it.

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@Lisa now in AZ 

Here in NOLA we call chayote by one of its other names - mirliton - and cook it as a vegetable rather than a fruit.  It's delicious baked with a shrimp stuffing, but can also be pickled like well, pickles.  I mention all of this to say that it doesn't seem to have much of a taste of its own and seems to take on the taste of whatever you cook it with.  So I can see how it could be used to replace apple in a recipe.  Please come back and let us know how it works out.

[Tinkrbl44]

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@Lisa now in AZ wrote:

I am on a low carb plan and I keep seeing this as a substitute for apples in apple pies, etc. Has anyone tried it and is it any good? They were on sale this week, so I just bought one to try it out. I thought I might slice it, boil it, and mix in some sugar alternatives, spices and butter and see if that tastes like a good dessert. If that works, I will try one of the apple pie recipes. Thanks!

LOL - there are some carb replacements that are widely suggested, but I am never going to eat a radish and think I am having a potato! So, before I make a whole "apple" pie, I want to see if it is worth it.

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@Lisa now in AZ 

While I usually bake squash, every time I get a new type to try I microwave it for 6 to 10 minutes, until tender.  Let it cool and cut in several pieces.   

Then, sample a few things ...

You can taste it plain, then on another chunk put some butter and on another put some cinnamon sugar .... and whatever else you might want to consider. 

After you are done with your "practice" chayote, go back and get another while they are still on sale ...  and go from there.   

Let us know what you make.

[Lisa now in AZ]

@Tinkrbl44 and @shoesnbags - thank you so much for your replies and suggestions! I will report back, as requested.

[Lisa now in AZ]

Stupid website won't let me just edit my response, so here is a new reply. These are going to work really well in an apple dessert. I peeled and cut the squash, put it in a pan with some water, brought to a boil and then simmered for about 10 minutes. They were tender and looked very "appley." They do taste very mild, if anything.

I put some cinnamon and some brown sugar alternative on them and they will be good. I used too much cinnamon, so will have to fix that. I think I will heat it with a little butter and toss in some walnut pieces. 

That was kind of the recipe for the topping for the apple crisp cheesecake recipe I found.

I will definitely pick up a few more of these guys this week.

Thanks again for your help and suggestions. Have a great day, everyone.