Beyond Pumpkin Pie & Butternut Squash Soup

Something magical happens in the weeks after the kids go back to school and summer tans fade. The crisp air and autumn’s new palette of marigold and butterscotch with hints of garnet make us long to wrap our hands around a warm cup of cocoa and don our favorite cozy socks.

The crimson landscape is reflected in our ponds and rivers and also in the spices in our food. The warmth and comfort that we seek is found in the richer, spicier dishes of the fall.

Gone are the fresh, herbal flavors of basil, dill, and cilantro, replaced by those of autumn: cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Suddenly the warmth of the oven is welcomed and baking is no longer a chore.

Butternut Squash & Hazelnut Galette

MAKES 8 SERVINGS

This recipe is easy enough to make for the family but elegant enough to serve to guests. It works well on a buffet, as well, because it tastes great at room temperature.

Pastry:

• 1 package puff pastry

• Flour for rolling out puff pastry

Filling:

• 1 small butternut squash (about 1 lb.)

• 1 tsp. salt

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil

• 3 leeks, halved and thinly sliced in half-moons

• 2 Tbsp. butter

• 1 tsp. salt

• ½ c. dry white wine

• Juice of 2 oranges

• ¾ c. fontina cheese, grated or cut into small bits

• 2 tsp. fresh sage leaves, chopped

Crumble Topping:

• 1 c. hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

• 2 Tbsp. fresh sage, chopped, more for garnish

• 1 Tbsp. melted butter

• Zest of 2 oranges

Squash

Preheat oven to 375°F. Peel the squash and cut the bulbous part away from the neck. Cut the neck into ¼” thick rounds. Halve the bulbous part and scoop out seeds. Cut into a ¼” dice. Toss the diced squash and squash rounds separately with olive oil and ½ a tsp. of salt and roast on two sheet pans lined with parchment for 20 minutes or until pieces are tender. Set aside to cool.

Leeks

Place the sliced leeks in a large bowl full of water. Use your hands to agitate the leeks in the water by pulling the pieces apart and letting the sand fall to the bottom of the bowl. There should be enough water that the leeks float. Lift the leeks out of the bowl leaving behind the sand-filled water. Melt butter in a heavy skillet and cook leeks over medium heat with ½ a tsp. of salt, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes or until soft and lightly translucent. Stir in white wine and orange juice; continue cooking until the liquid evaporates. Set aside to cool.

Raise the oven temperature to 400°F. Mix the diced squash, leeks, cheese, and herbs together in a bowl.

Galette

On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12” round and transfer to a baking sheet. Spread diced squash, leeks, cheese, and herb mixture over the dough, leaving a 1 ½” border. Place the squash rounds on top of the leek mixture in a spiral pattern starting in the center of the galette. Fold the edge of the pastry over about ¾” creating a border around the vegetable mixture, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open.

In a bowl, combine the chopped, toasted hazelnuts; orange zest; chopped sage; and melted butter. Sprinkle the topping on the galette.

Bake until golden brown – 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for five minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Fried Sage Topping (optional)

If you want to impress your guests, add a garnish of fried sage. In a small sauce pan, heat ½ c. of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add a sage leaf as a test; if it sizzles, then the oil is hot enough. If not, take out the leaf and try again. Fry the sage leaves for about 90 seconds and drain on a paper towellined plate. The leaves crisp and curl and look windblown.

Butternut Squash Cacio e Pepe

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Cacio e Pepe, or cheese and pepper, is a traditional Roman pasta dish. This recipe uses squash in place of the pasta. It’s a quick, weeknight meal that is not only simple to make, but the color is striking and makes eating your vegetables a pleasure.

Cacio e Pepe:

• 1 c. Pecorino Romano cheese, grated

• 1 c. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

• 1 Tbsp. freshly-grated black pepper

Spiralized Butternut:

• 1 large butternut squash (about 1 ¾ lb.)

• ¼ c. good olive oil

• 1 tsp. salt

Instructions

Peel the squash. If using a julienne peel, hold the squash by the bulbous end and use the peeler on the neck of the squash making long julienne strips; set aside until you have about 4 c. of squash. If using a spiralizer, cut the bulbous part of the squash off and reserve for another use. You may have to cut the neck in half lengthwise depending on the size of your squash and your spiralizer. (Follow the directions for your spiralizer.)

Place a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil and heat until the oil starts to shimmer. Add the squash, sprinkle with salt, and toss the squash in the olive oil until well coated. Add ¼ - ½ c. of water to the pan. Cook over high heat until the squash is tender – about three to four minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the squash. Turn the heat off and toss the squash with half of the cheeses; the natural starch in the squash will combine with the cheeses to create a sauce. Stir continuously and add the remaining cheese and the pepper. Serve in warm pasta bowls with extra cheese for garnish and extra freshly-cracked pepper.

Pumpkin and Chocolate Swirled Bundt Cake

MAKES 12 SERVINGS

Pumpkin and chocolate – why not? Can you think of two more comforting flavors? This cake tastes even better the next day. This fantastic makeahead recipe lets you entertain without spending the whole evening in the kitchen.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ c. (¾ lb.) butter, room temperature

• 3 c. sugar

• 6 large eggs

• 2 tsp. vanilla extract

• 1 tsp. orange extract

• 1 ¼ c. canned pumpkin

• 2 ¾ c all-purpose flour

• 2 tsp. baking powder

• 1 tsp. salt

• ½ tsp. ground cloves

• ½ tsp. ground cinnamon

• ¼ tsp. ground allspice

• ¼ tsp. ground ginger

• ¾ c. Dutch-processed, unsweetened cocoa

• ¾ c. buttermilk

• Powdered sugar for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cream together the butter and sugar in a mixer at medium speed. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Incorporate vanilla and orange extracts.

Pumpkin Batter

Scrape half the mixture into a separate bowl and mix in pumpkin until well-blended.

In another bowl, whisk together 1 ¾ c. flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Add flour mixture to pumpkin batter and fold in with a spatula just until blended; do not overmix.

Chocolate Batter

Whisk remaining 1 c. flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, ½ tsp. salt, and the cocoa in a bowl. Add flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk to the other half of the butter mixture (starting and ending with dry ingredients), beating after each addition, just until blended.

Spoon half the pumpkin batter into a buttered and floured 12-c. Bundt cake pan. Drop half the chocolate batter in spoonfuls over the pumpkin batter. Spoon remaining pumpkin and chocolate batters into pan. Gently swirl a skewer around the center of the pan several times.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until wooden skewer inserted into center of cake comes out with a few moist crumbs attached. Let cake cool 10 minutes in pan, then invert onto a rack, lift off pan, and cool cake completely. Dust with powdered sugar.

This cake can be baked in 12 1c. molds, as well! Adjust baking time to 35-40 minutes.

The warmth and comfort that we seek is found in the richer, spicier dishes of the fall."

Story by Sherry Swanson | Photos by Winter Caplanson