Winter Squashes Or Sweet Potatoes, Carrots?  Why not.

SATURDAY’S KITCHEN. Ubiquitous in the garden, there are more than 150 varieties of the hard skinned winter variety of squashes.  Few make their presence known in the kitchen, which is a shame, as there are few vegetables that when properly cooked blend an inherent creamy texture with an earthy and often sweet flavor.  The color of the flavor reflected in the color of the flesh – deep rust; a rich and lingering earthy taste that haunts the palate, especially when highlighted by a curry spice or one based on clove.  Bright orange – zesty and sweet, when blended with citrus zest and butter makes a wonderful base for simmering mild fleshed birds – turkey, chicken, even game birds.

How to make it.  This preparation is one of my “Paint Pots” – that is, it is something in my basic cooking palette, especially for Fall and early Winter.

Use any combination of the following: acorn squash, butternut squash, kombucha squash or other winter squash.  Include sweet potatoes, carrots, or other orange root vegetables.  Preheat you oven to a moderate temperature, like 300F.  Cut the squashes into quarters, scoop out the seeds.  Peel the sweet potatoes or carrots if you are using them.  Place a piece of foil on a baking sheet and oil it, or use a silicone baking pad.  Put the vegetables on the sheet and place in the oven.  Roast until tender.  Check the vegetables every 30 minutes (set a timer if this helps).  Using a small knife or a fork, pierce the flesh, feeling how easily it yields to moderate pressure.  The softer the flesh, the more it is done.  Each squash or sweet potato cooks differently, as they become soft, remove them from the oven and put them in a bowl. Continue cooking them the remainder until they are all soft.  Allow to cool.

Scoop the flesh off of the skins and put in a bowl.  Lightly season with salt and pepper.  First, mash with a potato masher, then puree in a blender or food processor.  At this point, you can stop and save the puree or proceed in one of the fashions listed below.

• Combine the puree with some chicken or vegetable stock for a soup.

• Make a ravioli – either with fresh pasta or using wanton wrappers.  Variation – add a cheese, such as feta, a blue or other favorite.  As a sauce, consider a melted blue cheese & cream garnished with roasted pumpkin seeds.  Another variation might be olive oil, garlic and blue cheese.

• As a vegetable mousse/timbale – combine with a few eggs, a bit of cream and fill a small mold.  Bake bain marie until set.

• Use it as a base for a vegetable ‘sauce’.  Combine the puree with a little stock, season as desired, swirl in some butter and add roasted vegetable such as cauliflower, leeks, carrots, turnips and serve over grains (risotto, spelt, bulger).

• Make a bread with it.  Use it as a pie filling, by itself or combined with apples.

• Souffle – either savory or sweet.  Fold the puree into a souffle base, season as desired and then fold into whipped egg whites, bake in a buttered souffle mold in a hot oven.

• Use the puree in an ice cream base.  Add sorghum, or ginger or some chili.

Kombucha Squash & Sweet Potato Soup

1 large leek, white part only, sliced and washed
1 Tb butter
1 cup prepared squash & sweet potato puree
3 cups rich chicken stock
salt, fresh ground pepper, to taste
1/2 cup half & half, optional

Method:  In a heavy non-aluminum 2 quart casserole, melt the butter over moderate heat, add the sliced leeks and cook until soft, without the leeks taking on any color.  Add the chicken stock, bring to a simmer and then add the prepared pumpkin.  Return to a simmer, cook for 1/2 hour, season with salt and pepper to taste.  To serve, add the half & half (optional).

Variation 1: May be made with a vegetable stock and substitute vegetable oil for the butter.
Variation 2:  For garnish, crisp some bacon and fry some sage leaves in the rendered bacon fat, use the crisp bacon and the sage leaves for garnish.

Sweet Potato Mousse

12 servings

3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup + 1 Tb. granulated sugar
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 oz. unflavored gelatin (1 envelope)
1 Tb. AP flour
1 1/2 tsp orange zest
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup prepared sweet potato
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 cup chilled heavy cream

Method:  In a non-aluminum saucepan, combine egg yolks, 1/2 cup sugar, milk, gelatin, flour and orange zest.  Mix well with a whisk.  Over moderate heat while stirring constantly, bring the mixture ot a boil.  Remove from the heat and stir in the orange juice, pumpkin and allspice, mix well and then strain through a medium strainer into a large bowl.  Gradually whisk in the heavy cream.  In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites with a wire whisk until soft peaks form.  Add the remaining 1 TB of sugar and continue beating until egg whites are stiff.  Stir 1/4 of the beaten whites into the pumpkin mixture, then fold the remaining whites into the mixture.  Mold into indivdual serving molds and refrigerate 4 hours, until set.

Sweet Potato Ravioli With Sage Cream and Brown Butter

6 sheets of rolled pasta2 eggs + 1 tsp water, mixed well together, lightly beaten
1 1/2 # pumpkin/sweet potato puree
4 oz. unsalted butter, very soft
2 tsp. Quatres-Epices (see recipe below)
salt, fresh ground pepper

Sage cream
1/3 cup sage leaves (saving small leaves for fried sage leaf garnish)
1 cup crème fraiche
1 cup Beurre Monté
Oil for frying
Salt and fresh pepper
2 Tb. unsalted butter
48 leaves for garnish (part of the 1/3 cup)
4 thin slice ham, cut into julienne (optional)

Method: Make your pumpkin and sweet potato puree according to previous instructions.  Mix the puree with the soft butter, season with the quarters-epices, salt and pepper.  Cool and refrigerate.

To fill the ravioli:  Lay one sheet of rolled pasta out on a flat surface.  Brush the entire surface with the egg and water wash. Using two teaspoons (or a pastry bag fitted with a plain tube), make two rows of filling.  Take a teaspoon full amount of puree and using the second teaspoon, dropit off onto the pasta.  Make a second mound, leaving one inch in between the mounds.  Proceed to make a full row and then a second.  Carefully place a second sheet of pasta on top.  Using your fingers, press down between the mounds of filling, making sure that the filling is completely sealed in.  Then cut the pasta into squares.  Set aside and proceed to use the remaining pasta sheets and filling.

For the sage cream, blanch the sage leaves not reserved for garnish in boiling water for 2 minutes.  Drain, cool in cold water.  Squeeze dry.
Heat the crème fraiche, beurre monté and salt over low heat until hot, do not boil.  Place the sage in a blender, chop.  With motor running, add the hot cream and blend.  Strain into a large skillet, keep warm on low heat.
Deep fry the leaves for garnish.
Cook the ravioli in a large pot of salted, boiling water.  Cook for 4 –5 minutes, until the pasta is cooked.  Drain.  While the ravioli are cooking, make some brown butter.
To serve, toss the ravioli in the warm sage cream, put on a heated serving dish, drizzle the brown butter over the top, garnish with the fried sage leaves and the country ham.

Sweet Potato & Pumpkin Sorghum Ice Cream

8 servings

3 egg yolks
1 cup sorghum syrup
1 cup milk, scalded
1 cup prepared sweet potato & pumpkin
1 1/2 tsp fresh grated nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
either dark rum or bourbon and some walnuts for garnish

Method:  In a large bowl, blend the egg yolks and sorghum, stir well.  Gradually beat the hot milk into the egg mixture.  Pour into a non-aluminum saucepan and cook over moderate heat until a good custard forms (180 F on a candy thermometer).  Return to a bowl, mix in the pumpkin, nutmeg and heavy cream.  Allow to cool, then pour into your ice cream freezer and freeze.  Allow the ice cream to “ripen” in a freeze for 2 hours before serving.  Serve with a dash of rum or bourbon and some chopped walunuts.

Pumpkin Crème Brulée

8 servings

Brulée sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated white sugar

In a 250 F oven, mix sugars together, then spread out in an even layer on a sheet pan.  Dry in the oven for 1 hour.  In blender process to a fine powder.  Set aside and covered, will keep about a week.

Custards
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
10 Tb. sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. ground clove
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
9 large egg yolks
3/4 cup unseasoned pumpkin puree

Preheat oven 350 F.  In saucepan, combine milk, cream, sugar and spices.  Over medium heat, bring to a simmer, remove from heat, allow to infuse 30 minutes.  Whisk in the pumpkin, then the egg yolks, pass through a sieve into a bowl.  Fill 8 – 4 oz.  Set the ramekins in a bain marie with hot water.  Bake in oven for 25 – 30 minutes, until the custards are set. Remove and cool.  Refrigerate at least 8 hours before serving.

To serve: spread the sugar in a thin layer and caramelize under a hot broiler or with a ‘salamander’.

Variations: acorn, butternut squash or sweet potatoes.

Mark Rosenstein