Preheat the oven to 375F (190C)

Roll out ½ of the pie pastry and line a 9 inch pie plate. Crimp as desired. Chill till needed

Roll the other ½ of the pie pastry to almost as thin (about ⅙ inch thick) as your pie crust. Cut out shapes as desired. Place these on a parchment lined baking sheet and refrigerate till needed.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs till frothy.

Add the squash purée and vanilla, and blend well.

In a small bowl whisk together the sugar, starch, spices, and salt. Add this to the squash mixture.

Add the maple syrup. Whisk well. Finally, stir in the cream.

Place the chilled pie shell onto a baking sheet. Run a bit of egg wash along the edges of your crimped pie shell. Sprinkle the edges with a bit of your raw or turbinado sugar.

Pour the filling into the pie shell. If there is extra, fill a ramekin dish with the extra and bake alongside the pie till they are set.

Bake on the middle rack for 50-60 minutes, rotating the pie after about 30 minutes to ensure even browning of the crust. Check at 50 minutes.

When the edges are puffed up, and the centre of the pie jiggles only slightly, the pie is ready.

Finish with a scattering of the salt flakes.

Cool on a wire rack.

While the pie is baking, remove the chilled 'cookies' from the fridge.

Brush each with a bit of egg wash, and sprinkle with raw or turbinado sugar.

Bake at 375F till golden, about 15-20 minutes. Remove and cool on the rack for about 30 minutes.

Place the cooled cookies onto the cooled set custard in a pattern appealing to you.

Once the pie is at room temperature, cover it loosely with plastic wrap and keep in the fridge till ready to serve.