Readers of The Argus Food section must be tiring of fall-themed recipes by now. Autumn is a foodie’s favorite season, of course, and for many good reasons—this season has a monopoly of sorts on such delicacies as butternut squash and fruit compote, has foods flavored by the richest and most distinctive spice medleys, and is punctuated exclusively by holidays centered in one way or another around food. But even the most devoted seasonal cook will crack when buffeted by recipe after recipe calling for squashes, root vegetables, or a blend of ground cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Why then, you ask, did I choose to write about savory tarts, an undeniably seasonal dish with—you guessed it—butternut squash as one of its primary ingredients? Surely I could have at least formulated a more creative way to introduce the recipe. Have I simply run out of ideas?
I justify myself, ironically enough, by pointing to that rather unseasonal occurrence that currently affects us all. At the time of writing, campus is buried under several inches of snow. This heavy layer somehow manages to stay slushy enough to soak our shoes despite the raw, frigid wind that whips over it and blows flecks of ice into our faces as we trudge to and from class. Even by New England standards, a snowstorm like this one is unpleasantly premature.
I recommend that we all seek solace in the warmth of a kitchen, preferably one filled with the aroma of pies in the oven. And why not send a message to Old Man Winter while we’re at it by baking a quintessential autumn dish? Get lost, Jack Frost! You’ve still got over a month to wait.
Both recipes were adapted from the NPR website: http://www.npr.org.
Pumpkin Seed, Sage, and Butternut Squash Tart
Makes 1 large tart
Ingredients
crust:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 stick butter, frozen
ice water
Filling:
1 small butternut squash
1/2 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup unshelled pumpkin seeds
1 clove garlic
5 or 6 fresh sage leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
a pinch of cayenne
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Directions:
1. For the crust, mix the flour, salt, and black pepper in a large bowl. Grate the frozen butter and add it to the flour mixture. Toss with a fork until a coarse meal forms.
2. While mixing, slowly add about 1/2 cup of ice water.
3. Remove dough from bowl and knead for about 30 seconds. Wrap the dough ball in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
4. To prepare the filling, first preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
5. Peel the butternut squash and slice it vertically into rods. Slice each rod into medallions about a centimeter thick.
6. Brush a baking sheet with olive oil and arrange the medallions evenly over the sheet. Brush the tops of the medallions with oil, too. Roast the squash for about 20 minutes, or until the medallions soften and begin to brown.
7. Reduce heat to 400 degrees. Arrange the almonds, pumpkin seeds, and garlic on the cookie sheet and toast until the pumpkin seeds turn golden brown.
8. Combine the almonds, garlic, pumpkin seeds, sage, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and cayenne in a food processor and blend into a smooth paste. Add the milk and eggs and continue blending. Mix in the grated cheese.
9. Roll out the dough and place it in a buttered, floured pie pan. Pre-bake the crust for ten minutes, then remove from the oven and pour in the wet mixture. Press the roasted squash medallions into the paste, preferably in a pretty arrangement of your choice.
10. Bake the tart for 30 minutes and serve.
Spinach, Pear, and Bleu Cheese Galettes
Makes 2 galettes
Ingredients
crust:
same as above
filling:
3 ripe Bosc pears, peeled and diced
2 cups packed baby spinach, finely chopped
1 cup toasted walnuts, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 cup crumbled bleu cheese
ground black pepper
Directions:
1. To make the crust, prepare the dough as above, and keep it chilled until you’re ready to use it.
2. For the filling, first preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
3. Combine the diced pear, chopped spinach, walnuts, rosemary, and bleu cheese in a large bowl. Add a pinch or two of black pepper. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and make sure to break apart any clumps of bleu cheese that may have formed.
4. Separate the dough into balls about two inches in diameter. Roll out the balls into circles about a half-centimeter thick.
5. Place a pile of filling in the center of each dough circle. Wrap the edges of the dough back toward the center and bunch them together without completely sealing the center hole (see picture for a visual aid).
6. Place the galettes on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the crust begins to brown.