Thursday, February 26, 2009

Goodbye to Butternut Squash


Belltown is a neighborhood in Seattle where it once was not safe to go. It is north of the famous Pike Place Market and, seriously, when I was a kid you steered clear of that part of town. Now it is known for having super-hip restaurants, pricey shops, and multi-million dollar condos. One of the people who is credited for beginning this change is Leslie Mackie. She opened a bakery and a few years later, a neighborhood was gentrified. Build it and they will come applies to bakeries too!

But this isn't just any bakery. It's really quite a special spot. In terms of the bread and baked goods, I have to honestly say that I think the quality has gone downhill. You can buy their bread almost everywhere in town now and I wonder if that diversification has hurt them. Still, whenever I walk into their original location in Belltown (there are now two others), I immediately want to start baking. Everything look so
good.

For me, the best thing about Macrina is eating lunch there. They have about 8 small tables so it can be kind of tricky to snag one, but if you do you are in for a treat. Everyday, in addition to salads and sandwiches, they offer a meze plate. You get to choose three things from a list of five and your choices go something like this. Savory galette, some kind of grain or pasta salad, a large piece of crostini which in itself has three choices, soup, and green salad. The green salad stays the same, the rest change daily. I have never had anything there that wasn't lip-smackingly delicious - down the roasted onions, olives, and almonds they put on every plate.



Several years ago, Mackie came out with a cookbook called Macrina Bakery & Cafe Cookbook. I bought it right after it came out and was thrilled to find that there were three savory galette recipes in there. They are all phenomenal and real showstoppers if you want to impress company. This one, because I love squash so much, is my favorite. Although there is snow on the ground here today (again!), I feel that asparagus, peas, and artichokes are on their way. I don't feel like I gave winter squash it's due so last week I made these galettes for my clients.

If you are intimidated by things with crusts, this galette is a great place to start. The dough is incredibly easy to work with - it behaves the best of any I have made. And because the tart is free form, there is no rolling it or worrying about transferring it to a pan. The recipe as written makes one very large galette - I have been happier with it when I make smaller ones. Even if you are serving it for a dinner party, just make two smaller ones. They will look better and be easier to work with. Last week, I made two small ones for my clients and one medium sized one to eat with my parents and brother who came over for dinner.


The crust makes enough for two galettes so you can freeze half of it for up to a month and make another one another day. Or, you can use the dough as a double pie crust. I love versatility!



Butternut Squash and Apple Galette
Adapted from
Macrina Bakery and Cafe Cookbook
Serves 8-10


I have made this tart with the fresh butternut squash and the canned pumpkin and they both taste great. Don't hesitate to take the canned short cut.


2 Granny Smith apples

1/2 tsp. ground allspice

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

3 cups Roasted Butternut Squash, or canned pumpkin

2 tbsp. light brown sugar

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh sage

1/2 recipe Flaky Pie Dough, chilled

Egg wash made with 1 egg and 1 tsp. water

2 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled

1 tbsp. freshly chopped parsley


Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.


Core and peel the apples and cut into 1/2 inch wedges. Place wedges in a medium bowl and toss with half of the allspice, half of the cinnamon, and half of the cloves. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, then add the spice apples and continue cooking for another 5 minutes, or until the apples are tender. Set aside to cool.


Combine butternut squash puree with the remaining allspice, cinnamon, and cloves in a large bowl. Add brown sugar, eggs, salt, and sage, and mix with a whisk to fully blend the ingredients.


Form chilled pie dough into a ball and place in on a lightly floured work surface. Cut it in half and reform each half into a ball. Flatten each ball slightly, then working with one ball at a time, roll it into an approximately 8 inch circle, about 1/8 of an inch thick. Carefully lift it onto the preapred baking sheet. Spoon half of squash mixture onto center of circle and spread to within 2 inches of the edge. Place a single layer of apples in concentric circles on top of the squash filling. Lift border over top of the filling, tucking and folding the dough to create a gathered, or pleated, finish. Lift each of the folds up and brush underneath with egg wash to seal the crust. Brush all exposed dough with egg wash then repeat with other half of dough and filling. (You may need to place it on another sheet.) Place the baking sheet(s) in the refrigerator and chill for 30 minutes.


Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove tart from oven and bake on center rack of oven for 30 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with Gorgonzola and parsley, then return to oven to bake another 25-30 minutes, or until crust is golden brown. Let cool on baking sheet for 20 minutes. (
DN: I add the cheese and parsley half way through to prevent them from burning. I have found you can bake this tart 4 hours ahead and reheat in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes before serving.)

Flaky Pie Dough

Makes enough for 2 double-crusted (9-inch) pies, or 2 galettes


I always make pie dough in my food processor, but this amount is too much for it, so I do it by hand.


5
1/4 cups flour
1 tbsp. kosher salt

12 tbsp. (1
1/2 sticks) butter, chilled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1
3/4 cups solid vegetable shortening, chilled
1 cup ice water


Combine flour and salt in a large bowl and toss together. Add butter and cut it into the flour until the texture is coarse and crumbly. You can use a pastry cutter, two knives, or your fingers. Cut the shortening up and add it in small pieces. Cut in the shortening until the dough is crumbly again. Add ice water and mix just until the dough sticks together when pinched. Pull dough from bowl onto a lightly floured surface and pat it into a block. Cut it in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, or wrap it again in foil and store in the freezer. One day before you are going to use frozen dough, transfer it to the refrigerator and allow it to thaw there.


Roasted Butternut Squash

Makes about 4 cups of pureed squash


1- 3 lb. butternut squash


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


Wash squash, then cut it in half lengthwise and remove the seeds with a spoon. Place squash, cut sides down on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan. Pour 2 cups of water into the baking sheet, surrounding the squash. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the skin is dark brown and flesh is fork tender. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes. Scoop cooled squash out of its skin and puree in a food processor until smooth. Let the pureed squash cool completely, uncovered, then store it in an air-tight container. The squash will last for up to 3 days in the refrigerator or for up to 1 month in the freezer.

10 comments:

kickpleat said...

ooh, i've been to that bakery! and this galette looks great. i've made a similar one in the past and i think it's about time i revisit it before the season ends!

Anonymous said...

Your galettes look fantastic! Gorgonzola with squash and apples sounds great.

Stacey Snacks said...

That is a beautiful tart!

That neighborhood sounds like so many NYC neighborhoods that were enter at your own risk! Now they are too expensive and trendy, but at least the crime element is gone!

Donna-FFW said...

The galettes look so delicious. I have got to try one! And your squash with gorgonzola, OMG brilliant flavor combination. It all sounds fantastic!!

test it comm said...

Butternut squash galette with gorgonzola sounds really good.

Hayley said...

This sounds wonderful! I love the apple and squash combo. Thanks for sharing!

Chris said...

Unless I'm really up for a task, I think I'll take the canned route considering the work in the crust and roasting. Can you believe I've never really had a memorable savory tart? This one does look like a great place to start while also seeming relatively upscale. I'll have to try this soon :)

Anonymous said...

This sounds delicious, and I'm making it now, but I'm a little confused about how much dough to make.

The main recipe says that it makes enough for two galettes, and all the ingredients seem right for two galettes, but it says a "half" recipe of the dough.

But the dough recipe itself says that it makes enough for two galettes, so a half recipe would only make enough for one.

Today I'm making your recipe but with someone else's dough (partly because I didn't have shortening), which is even more confusing because the recipe I'm using uses 2.5 cups for two galettes of the same size... confused!

Thanks, though -- I'm sure the squash filling is going to be delicious! (I also added some dried cranberries to it, which I think will go well).

Dana Treat said...

Hey everyone - thanks for the sweet comments. Please do give this a try because it's a true winner.

Chris - the tart will not suffer AT ALL from using canned pumpkin. Especially as we are moving out of squash season, it's a great alternative.

Sam - sorry for the confusion. The main recipe is actually only for one tart - it is the dough that is enough for two. Here is what I do. I follow the recipe as written for the crust. Once it has come together, I cut it into half and then shape each half into a round (like a super-thick pancake). One of those I wrap in plastic and put in the fridge. The other I wrap in plastic and then foil and put in the freezer.

Then I proceed with the recipe as written using only the half of the dough that was in the fridge. The filling is a lot but one half of the dough will contain it. It makes quite a large tart which is why I recommend making smaller ones. I hope that helps and again, sorry for the confusion.

RecipeGirl said...

Looks wonderful! I'll have to tell my sis (who lives in Tacoma) about this place. Thanks for the galette dough rec!