Need Ideas for a simple decorative pie topping

[Le Taz Hot]

for my Butternut Squash Pie (single crust). I'm entering it into the fair this year and, although it tastes wonderful, as is it's kind of blah looking. As I posses not a single decorative gene, I'm looking for suggestions to make it look more appealing. If it's a topping it should be sparse and light. And I'll need ideas as to how to be decorative with it.

Any help would be much appreciated.

LTH

[Sentath]

1. Do the rules allow for a separately baked item to be lain upon it?*

*I think that is how that sentence should work.

Like pie crust leaves?

Cookie cutters of squash leaves shouldn't be impossible to find.

Looks like they cheated and used maple.

Negative images are interesting,

http://www.delish.com/recipes/cooking-recipes/pear-raspberry-heart-pie-berry-fruit-pies#slide-10

but I don't know that it would work with a custard

[Sentath]

2. "Cookie cutters of squash leaves shouldn't be impossible to find."

HA!

So far so useless, sorry. Maple it is.

[grasswire]

4. you can cut little maple leaves from pie dough freehand

It's not a difficult shape. Bake them off separately, of course.

[Le Taz Hot]

5. There aren't any rules about decorating.

Just whether it will be a single- or double-crust pie. I can see the decorative crust topping on other pies but I don't think it's going to work on this -- something about a custard-type pie with harder, unattached cooked dough on top. I'm sure that it won't interfere with the texture. I was thinking something along the lines of small little rosettes or something with a pastry piper with maybe a butter filling. 'Course how I'm going to pull that off having no ability to "draw" this stuff I've no idea.

But I can certainly use the suggestion for other pies. I didn't even know these kinds of cookie cutters existed. Thanks for your suggestion.

[NMDemDist2]

3. i was thinking fluted dots of white potato or sweet potato and a sprinkling of a nice spice

is it sweet or savory? sweet with cinnamon sugar or if savory paprika perhaps?

[Le Taz Hot]

6. Now that's not a bad idea.

Now, by "fluted" (forgive my ignorance here) are we talking about like what I do to the pie edges with my fingers? The pie is actually sweet so I'm thinking maybe a butter cream sort of thing -- just so it's not too sweet and not too much because I don't want it to overwhelm the taste of the pie.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[NMDemDist2]

8. i was thinking about that frosting piping thing

and butter cream may be yummy, or whipped cream that isn't icky sweet

[sinkingfeeling]

7. Here's a whole lot of ideas.....

http://www.google.com/search?q=fancy+pie+crust&hl=en&prmd=imvnse&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=1KVIUIPjJsPCqQHL-YGgBA&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ&biw=1024&bih=684