Butternut Squash & Caramelized Onion Gallette

Butternut squash has been very plentiful lately, but recently I have become very tired of the usual: butternut squash soup, roasted butternut squash, or squash casserole. Yummy, all, but I was bored with the tried and true.

Happily, I found a recipe for a "Butternut Squash & Carmelized Onion Gallette" on a foodie site: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/10/butternut-squash-and-caramelized-onion-galette/

With squash on the counter and few ideas, I decided to try the recipe. The pictures on the site of the dish weren't terribly inspiring but I thought, I'll give it a go.

It was delicious and very tasty, but I thought that I could make the recipe simpler and also make the gallette much prettier than the one on the site. See my finished product, above.

NOTES: you can use more or less squash, depending on what you have, but when I made the recipe once with only 1 medium sized squash, it wasn't as good as when I used 2 medium squash. Also, don't forget the sugar, I did, once, and it really made a difference!

Here's  my recipe:

Butternut Squash and Carmelized Onion Gallette:


Ingredients:


For crust:
1 1/4 cups flour (I used unbleached whole wheat pastry flour, but any wheat flour will do)
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick (8 Tbs) very cold butter, cut into chunks
1/4 cup ice water (put an ice cube in a 1 cup liquid measuring cup, then fill with cold water up to 1/4/cup)
1/4 cup light sour cream
2 tsp fresh lemon juice (cut a lemon in half, dump the seeds and squeeze a teaspoon from each half)




For Filling:
1 large butternut squash OR 2 small butternut squash, peeled (I used a veggie peeler), seeded and cut into small, 1/2 inch chunks
2 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp salt


One very large white or yellow sweet onion (cut in half, then sliced very thin into half moon slices. The thinner the better)
2 Tbs butter (not margarine)
1/8 tsp sugar

2 tsps fresh sage, chopped fine
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

3/4 cup baby swiss cheese (or fontina, or your favorite melting but strong cheese), cut into very small chunks or grated.


1)  Mix pastry crust:  Mix sour cream and lemon juice into the cold water, stir until no lumps of cream appear. Place flour, salt and butter chunks into a cuisineart with the sharp blade in the bowl. Pulse until the butter is incorporated and the flour is crumbly. (If you don't have a cuisineart, cut the butter into the flour/salt mix with a pastry cutter or 2 knives until crumbly). Pour the liquid into the cuisineart and pulse until all flour is wet, but DO NOT overmix. (By hand, pour liquid into a well in the center of the flour, mix with a fork making sure that all flour is wet, but don't over mix). Place in a plastic bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour.


2) a: Make squash filling: Preheat oven to 375F.  Mix squash chunks with the olive oil to coat, sprinkle on the 1 tsp salt. Line a flat pan or sheet with either foil or parchment paper, and layer the chunks in one layer on the pan. Roast in oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until fork tender but not too soft. Roast longer with bigger chunks, less time with smaller chunks.


2) b: Caramelize the Onions: Melt 2 Tbs butter in a medium frying pan, then add the onions. Over medium heat, cook the onions, stirring often, until they are nicely browned and caramelized. Add sugar, cayenne pepper and sage. Leave onions in frying pan but remove from heat.


3) When squash is done, remove from oven and dump the squash into the unheated frying pan with the onions and spices. Stir to mix the onions carefully with the squash. Add the cheese and mix to incorporate all the items evenly. ( I prefer to sprinkle the cheese onto the top of the mound of squash before making the dough border, then the cheese melts down into the squash).


4) Form pastry crust:  Place the cold pastry dough on a well floured very flat surface, turn to coat well with flour, and form with your hands into a round flat disc, about 5 inched wide and 1 inch in depth.  Roll dough into a uniformly flat 12 inch circle. Try to make sure that your edges are not too flat, roll from center out and don't press too hard as your rolling pin gets to the edges. Turn dough over at least once as you roll, and continue dusting with flour so it doesn't stick to the rolling pin or surface.  Dough will snap back a bit, so if you make an edge too thin or raggedy, push the edge in towards the center with your fingers and lightly roll over the edge to make uniform. 

5) Preheat oven to 400F.  Place a piece of parchment paper about 12 inches square on a flat cookie sheet.  Fold dough in half, then in half again (triangle shaped) and carefully place on the parchment paper, placing the point of the folded dough exactly in the center of the paper. Unfold the dough carefully, stretching if needed to make a good circle.

6) Mound the onion/squash mix into the center of the circle of dough, leaving 1 to 2 inches of dough uncovered. Fold the dough up and around the edges of the squash filling, making a border of dough around an open interior of squash. Pleate the dough carefully over the sides of the squash mound to make the dough border. Hint: if you have thin edges, fold the thin edges into a thicker pleat and leave the thicker edges unpleated or loosely pleated.


 Here's what it should look like before baking, below:

7) Bake @ 400F 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from sheet onto a plate. To serve, cut in wedges. Can be either reheated in a hot oven (10 minutes) or microwaved later. Enjoy!

Dining out in Cuenca, Ecuador

When I lived in Ecuador back in the mid 70's as a Peace Corps Volunteer, "Cuisine" was not exactly a word that readily came to mind when discussing Ecuador and food.  But that has all changed, for the better, I must say. Cuenca, Ecuador is a walking and dining paradise for anyone who loves to sample fresh, local ingredients.

 -

Here's a picture of our favorite snack at the central old town mercado, fresh sweet corn and cheese pancakes. The corn is called "mote" and is not a sugary sweet corn, but has large, starchy hominy like kernal. The cheese is a mild, fresh cheese making the pancake a slightly salty bite with a gooey yummy inside 

Sure, lots of fresh fruits and vegetables have always been available in Ecuador, but back in the 70's the variety was much more limited....and bacon, good butter and cream were non-existent. This picture was taken at the central mercado, where they were making their own cheese that they use in the pancakes. Ecuador is so much different today, with good cuisine and great chefs are everywhere. In fact, cheesemaking has become an art in Ecuador - you can buy fresh cheese, slightly aged cheese, or sharper aged cheese. Truly aged or imported cheese can also be found in the big box stores.

Yummy Mousse de Maracuya with chocolate & bananas. Maracuya, or passion fruit, grows wild everywhere in Ecuador. Mousse de Maracuya (see recipe below) is on the dessert menu at many restaurants in Cuenca - sometimes very tart, sometimes very sweet....  This concoction was very creamy and delicious, and full of fruit and fiber. We ate this dish, along with 3 other wonderful desserts and coffee, at a lovely, modern restaurant in old town, next to a hotel. 

Here's a foto of a wall hanging made of clay, very detailed, depicting Cuenca old town, on the wall inside.

It is possible to find just about every type of food and vegetable and fruit and meat and spice that you may want to eat or cook in Ecuador. You might have to search a bit for it, but you will find it. I'm amazed at the wonderful variety that abounds in all the markets. I also love the fact that most everything is bought local and cooked fresh.  Packaged food is available, but why would you want it? 

This is a foto of our favorite Gringo meal @ Bananas restaurant in old town, and the ladies who make the wonderful freshly grated potato hash browns to order. I've tried to make them at home, they don't taste the same. Not as good. And I think I'm a good cook!Panaderias, or bread stores, are everywhere. When you walk around old town, if you pass by one of these, you can't resist the rich, yeasty aroma of the bread and pastries baking...especially in the morning. A whole bag of fresh bread, pan dulce (sugar buns) pan chocolate (bread stuffed with chocolate) and even cheese or meat stuffed buns (or plain ones, great with butter and jam) runs about a couple of dollars.

If you love roasted pork, potatoes and beer, Ecuador is the place for you. Potatoes originated in the Andes, and every color, size and type of potato can be found here. Top floor at the main mercado in old town, a plate of delicious roasted pork and potatoes with mote, a starchy hominy, is about $1.85. Pilsener, a huge bottle of cold beer is pretty cheap, too. Select a pork seller, with a big roasted pig, point to the part of meat you want, say yes to potatoes and mote, and she'll heat it up in a pan for you. Great lunch. Try the crunchy skin for a salty treat.

Or pick up some potatoes, beans and grains for a wonderful soup - or maybe some mora (blackberries) for a cobbler. 

At a favorite restaurant in Quito, next door to the Holiday Inn Express, wonderful bread appetizers with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and spices for dipping along with a glass of wine could have made a meal for us. But we went ahead and ordered Italian pasta dishes, anyway.

Whew! I think I'm hungry now!


Mousse de Maracuya


Combine the following 3 ingredients in a saucepan, heat until sugar dissolves and then let cool completely:
1 C passion fruit concentrate or fruit pulp (see note 1 below)
1/2 Tbsp lime juice
1 cup sugar


In a small saucepan, sprinkle
1 envelope gelatin
over
2 Tblsp water
Allow gelatin to soften in the water, about 5 minutes, then heat very slowly until it dissolves. Once it is dissolved, stir in fruit juices and sugar mixture.


Fill a large mixing bowl about half full of ice cubes. Place the saucepan with the mixture of juices and gelatin over the ice cubes.  Cool the juice mix for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mixture should be completely cooled. Or if you prefer, you can place saucepan into the refrigerator but be sure to check often to stir the mixture.


Meanwhile, in a medium mixing bowl, whip
1 Cup heavy whipping cream
until very stiff. When juice mixture is completely cooled, slowly incorporate the juice mixture into the whipped cream, folding carefully.


In a very clean large mixing bowl, whip
3 egg whites (see note 2)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into the juice and whipped cream mixture.


Spoon into molds (makes 6 individual or 1 large).   Refrigerate at least 6 to 8 hours, unmold onto plates and garnish with a few maracuya seeds, a spoonful of maracuya pulp or concentrate, a dollop of whipping cream and a mint sprig. Enjoy!


note: 1)  if you can't find fresh passion fruits, frozen pulp can usually be found at international food stores. Concentrate will also work, but the flavor is best when using fresh fruit. Be sure to strain the seeds from the pulp before mixing in.  note: 2) if not using fresh, local eggs that you trust, use pasteurized eggs as the egg whites will not be cooked.