Butternut Squash Gratin with Blue Cheese and Sage

Welcome to guest blogger Laura Lane!  Laura and I had this dish at a new restaurant in Galesburg where the all items are made from local food.  We both loved the squash, and when we complimented the chef, he told us enough about it (including that he found the base recipe online) that we could duplicate it at home.  Laura did the research and offered to share the recipe—it's really good.  Thanks, Laura!

Penny and I tasted this wonderful dish at En Season Cafe. With advice from Chef Bart and an online recipe, I experimented.  This is easy to make; peeling the squash is easy with a sharp peeler! Great side dish, although Rich and I enjoyed it as a main dish, along with salad and bread. You could get by with 1 T. sage, but we like a little more.  And 1/2 cup of blue cheese would be more subtle--we like the strong flavors so went with 2/3 cup. Worked beautifully.  And I hope you like it as well as we did!

Butternut Squash Gratin with Blue Cheese and Sage

from Laura Lane, adapted from http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/butternut-squash-gratin-with-blue-cheese-sage-10000001860069/ via En Season Café

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed (3/4-inch) (about 2 pounds)
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, thinly sliced
• 1-1/2 T. chopped fresh sage
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
• Cooking spray
• 1 T butter (optional)
• 1/2-2/3 c. crumbled blue cheese
• 1/2 c. Panko bread crumbs

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°.

2. Steam butternut squash, covered, 10-12 minutes or until tender. [PSG:  This took me about 20 minutes; maybe my steamer isn't the best. . .]

3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onion 5 minutes or until tender. In a large bowl, mix onion, butternut squash, chopped sage, salt, and black pepper to bowl, and toss gently. Spoon into 13 x 9 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Dot with butter. Sprinkle crumbled blue cheese evenly over squash mixture, and sprinkle breadcrumbs on top of cheese. Bake at 400° for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and crumbs are golden brown.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

I'll be having Thanksgiving at someone else's home next week.  Since I don't have to cook the main meal, I'm freed up to make a dessert that is more complicated than I would otherwise do--the pumpkin chiffon pie that was the crowning glory of my mother's Thanksgiving table.  This is a cut above the usual pumpkin pie!

Ruth Glick's Coconut Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

from Helen Gold, Penny's mom

1 envelope gelatin, softened in 1/4 cup cold water

1-1/4 c. mashed cooked pumpkin (canned is OK)

3/4 c. evaporated milk

1/2 c. water

2 jumbo (or 3 medium) egg yolks, slightly beaten (save egg whites)

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. ginger

1/4 c. brown sugar

1/2 t. vanilla

3/4 c. (plus a little more) toasted coconut (to toast: spread in shallow pan and bake at 305 for about 4 minutes, stirring frequently so that it browns evenly; watch out as it browns quickly)

pie shell (graham cracker or regular—either is fine)

whipped cream

  

1.     Bake  pie shell.

2.     Soften gelatin in water.

3.     Combine the next set of ingredients (pumpkin through ginger) and cook over boiling water for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly.  Stir in softened gelatin until dissolved.  Chill until slightly thickened.

4.     Beat the 2 or 3 egg whites until frothy.  Add 1/4 cup brown sugar and continue beating until stiff.  Fold into pumpkin mixture with 1/2 t. vanilla and 3/4 c. toasted coconut.  Turn into baked pie shell.  Chill until firm. Top with whipped cream and sprinkle with toasted coconut.

Roasted tomatoes

Warmer temperatures have lingered here, and I just recently stripped my tomato plants of all the partly-ripe and green tomatoes that remained.  I left them in a paper bag for a while, so about half ripened.  I've made roasted tomatoes for a couple of years now, introduced to the recipe by my friend Natania, but I hadn't tried using green tomatoes as well as red.  Great way to use up the green tomatoes, and a LOT easier than make fried green tomatoes.  I have not put in amounts for the ingredients as there is no need to be exact with this.

ROASTED TOMATOES

adapted from Mediterranean Light

• a baking sheet or two full of Roma (or other) tomatoes, cut in half horizontally; can also be done in smaller amounts
• olive oil spray (or regular olive oil)
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• minced garlic (or garlic powder if you're in a hurry)
• fresh basil or parsley (or dried if you don't have fresh)

Heat oven to 325.  Cover baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray lightly with oil.   Put tomatoes on baking sheet, cut sides up.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and add garlic and herbs.  Spray with olive oil (or drizzle with oil).

Bake for 2-3 hours, until tomatoes collapse and begin to carmelize.  Serve hot or at room temperature.

These are so tasty and so easy to make that I alwyas bake at least a whole baking sheet full, sometimes two, and freeze what we don't eat.

Greek Eggplant salad

I made this recently to bring to a potluck, and it was a big hit. The original recipe called for turning the eggplant under the broiler until the skin blackens. I took the easier route of baking it in the oven, and it was just fine!

GREEK EGGPLANT SALAD

adapted from Jane Brody's Good Food Book

4 servings (doubles easily)

1 medium eggplant (about 1 lb.), sliced 1/4" thick (skin left on)
1 large tomato, seeded and chopped
1 green pepper, cut in half
1 large clove garlic, crushed
1 small onion, grated (or chopped very fine in a food processor)

1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper
3 T. red wine vinegar
1 T. olive oil

minced fresh parsley for garnish

1.  Preheat oven to 375.  Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray.
2.  Put eggplant slices and halved green pepper on baking sheet.  Bake for 35 minutes, until tender.
3.  Chop the eggplant and the pepper and put in a medium bowl.  Add the tomato, onion, and garlic.
4.  In a small bowl, combine all the dressing ingredients: salt, pepper, vinegar, oil.  Pour the dressing over the eggplant mixture, and combine thoroughly.  Chill the salad well.  Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Apple strudel

I was looking for a light dessert to serve with the meal just before the beginning of the fast for Yom Kippur, and it also had to be something fairly quick and easy to put together, as I had about 2-1/2 hours after I could leave work on Friday to make the main course and the dessert. The version I made combines two recipes--the filling from Jane Brody and the pastry and method from Moosewood. Most strudel recipes call for bread crumbs sprinkled on the dough, but the almond cookies included in the Moosewood recipe are a really nice touch. If you have any strudel left over, store it in the refrigerator. It is also delicious cold.

APPLE STRUDEL

adapted from Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites and Jane Brody's Good Food Gourmet,
makes enough for 2 rolls, serves 8

Filling
2 lbs. apples, peeled, cored, and finely diced
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. finely chopped nuts (e.g., hazelnuts) (optional)
1/2 cup raisins
1 t. cinnamon
2 T. grated lemon rind (2-3 lemons)

Pastry
6 T. butter, melted (or can use spray vegetable oil)
6 T. crushed almond cookies (e.g., amaretti, almonette, etc.) (approximate amount)
12 sheet filo [phyllo] dough (less than 1/2 of one package—in freezer section of grocery store)

Preheat the oven to 375.

To make the filling:
In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients. Set the bowl aside. (This will make somewhat more than you need for the two rolls of strudel. The leftover is nice to eat just on its own.)

To assemble the roll:
1. Lightly oil or spray a baking sheet, and have at hand the melted butter, crushed cookies, and a pastry brush or paintbrush. You'll want to work quickly in a draft-free place, as the filo becomes brittle once exposed to air.

2. Unfold the stack of filo sheets next to the baking sheet. Take two sheets at once from the stack, and, in one smooth motion, lift them and lay them flat on the baking sheet. Lightly brush the top sheet with the melted butter and sprinkle it with about 1 T. of cookie crumbs. Repeat this for two more layers, until six sheets of the filo and half the cookie crumbs are used. Cover the remaining filo sheets with a dish towel.

3. Spoon the filling onto the filo in a somewhat thick layer, leaving about 2" of the filo uncovered on all four sides. Fold the shorter bottom and top edges toward the center. Then, starting at one of the long sides, toll up the filo like a jelly roll, ending with the seam side down. Place the strudel on the baking tray and brush it with butter.

4. Repeat to make the second roll.

5. Bake for about 30 minutes until hot and golden

6. Cool for 5 minutes, cut each roll crosswise into four slices, and serve.

Also good served with ice cream.

Honeycrisp apples

No recipes this time, just a plug for Honeycrisp apples, which are now back in the store. This variety of apple was developed relatively recently, and supplies are still small enough that there is not enough to be sold throughout the year. I manage with Fuji, Red Delicious, and Granny Smith for the months they're not around, but nothing is better than Honeycrisp for being just what the name says--both sweet and crisp. Thanks to my friend Mary Beth, who suggested a couple of years ago that I try one that she had in her fruit bowl. . .

Well, I'll include one other food-related event. After eating curry the other day, I noticed a small orange-yellow stain on my best white blouse. I tried getting it out with soap and water, but I only succeeded in having the yellow migrate to other parts of the blouse. Bummer! I assumed the blouse was done for, but decided to take a look in a book I turn to from time to time: How to Clean Everything. I looked up turmeric, and got the answer--soak in ammonia. Not something I'd ever had recourse to, but it worked! I notice this book is selling for $.01 (plus shipping) on Amazon. There's also a more recent edition, that's going for $1.29.

Baked Alaska

This post is off the beaten path of my usual type of recipes. This summer, I was e-mailing with a friend about getting together for dinner, and in the course of the exchange, she used the phrase "Baked Alaska" as a kind of exclamation. I thought yes, I'll make Baked Alaska for the meal, which was for a special occasion. I had had Baked Alaska only once in my life, some fifty years ago. When I was about twelve years old, one mother made dinner for a gathering of her daughter's friends. At the end of the meal, she brought out a Baked Alaska. I had never heard of or seen such a thing--it was quite wonderful. The warm baked meringue on top with the surprise of cold ice cream and cake inside. I never thought to make it myself, but now I was committed! Turns out it's quite simple to make--the most difficult part was reading through various recipes and combining them into something that would work for me. So, if you are ever so moved, here's my version.

BAKED ALASKA
(recipe adapted from The Settlement Cook Book, Fanny Farmer, Joy of Cooking, and Martha Stewart--see how much research I'm saving you!)

about 2 quarts ice cream (all one flavor or two)
8" round sponge cake (recipe below)
meringue (recipe below)

A day or two ahead: Leave the ice cream out to soften a bit. Select a bowl that holds about 2 quarts, but, most important, a bowl whose rim is a little less than 8" in diameter, as you'll be inverting the ice cream on to the top of the 8" round sponge cake. Spray a 2-quart bowl with cooking spray and line with plastic. Pack ice cream firmly into the bowl--either all one flavor, or layered. Cover surface with plastic wrap and put in freezer. Freeze until ice cream is very hard--at least 2 hours.

On the day you'll be serving: Place sponge cake on the serving plate you'll be using. Remove ice cream from freezer and invert over the cake. Keep the plastic wrap on, and return to freezer.

Preheat oven to 500.

Shortly before you are going to serve the dessert, make the meringue. Remove plastic from the ice cream. Spoon the meringue over the ice cream, swirling with a spatula. Place in oven and bake until the meringue starts to turn brown, about 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.

SPONGE CAKE (adapted from The Settlement Cook Book)
(enough for one 8" round layer)
1-1/2 t. baking powder
3/4 c. cake flour
2 eggs, separated
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 t. vanilla
3/8 c. water

Preheat oven to 325. Sift baking powder with the flour. In a bowl, beat egg yolks until light and thick. Add sugar gradually and continue beating. Add vanilla, and then alternately add the flour and water. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks, and fold into the mixture. Bake in an ungreased 8" round pan until done, about 25 minutes. (For a full recipe, double this, the cooking time is 40-50 minutes. I forgot to write down how long this halved recipe took.) Let cool on a rack for 5 minutes, and then remove cake from pan.

MERINGUE (This makes more than you need)
4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 pinch cream of tartar
1/2 t. pure vanilla extract

Beat egg whites until light and frothy. Add cream of tartar. Continue beating until stiff enough to hold a peak. Gradually beat in sugar and beat until meringue is stiff and glossy.