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French Squash Recipes Issue #23, October 2010

Hi, Bienvenue to the October issue of La Marmite where you will find some great French Squash Recipes. French Squash Every Fall our grocery store has a gorgeous display of winter squash including spaghetti, butternut, patty pan, acorn and many others. They throw in a lot of decorative gourds as well, and one can buy anything from the display for the same price per kilo. Here is a brief introduction to a few of these squash and some suggestions of what you may be able to find in your own grocery store or farmer's market. Courge spaghetti - Spaghetti squash Please do not eat this squash if you are looking for a low carbohydrate alternative to spaghetti. Enjoy it in its own right as a delicious and nutritious cold weather vegetable, as in the gratin recipe below. Patisson - Patty pan squash You may be more familiar with small, young patty pan squash. The variety featured here is harvested in the fall and can be treated like a winter squash. It is slightly sweet and said to taste like artichoke. Good for sauteing and in casseroles. Potiron This squash is quite similar to a pumpkin, and indeed I just substitute it for pumpkin in most recipes because it is more readily available in France. If any of my readers has an idea of what the precise English name for this squash is, I'd love to hear from you. Courge musquée - Butternut squash This squash is more akin to a sweet potato in texture than most winter squash. Compact and lovely when combined with strong flavors like ginger, lemon and cumin as in the soup recipe below. Potimarron - Red kuri squash This darling squash has a drier flesh than some. It is said to have a flavor reminiscent of marrons (chestnuts) - hence its name in French. Its more manageable size makes it a very popular squash in France. For more information on squash, have a look at The Nibble and their excellent squash glossary. Preparing Squash Hygiene. Always wash and dry squash well before cutting into them or cooking them. Slicing. Cutting into a large squash can be a tricky and even dangerous affair. What you don't want to happen is get the knife stuck half way into the squash, so make sure you use a large and very sharp knife. If the squash is narrower at a certain point, as with a butternut, begin by slicing it there. Otherwise, cut off the ends, and then slice down through the squash balancing it on one end. Peeling. Once you have the squash sliced into manageable pieces, you can scrape out the fiber and seeds and peel the squash with a paring knife. Sometimes though it is easier just to balance the pieces on their edge and slice the peel and fiber off with a chef's knife. Or just don't bother with the peel. Once it is cooked, it is very easy to remove the peel using a paring knife. Making Squash Purees When I first moved to France I soon discovered that I could not make a pumpkin pie. There was no canned pumpkin available and hide nor hare of a real pumpkin, even at Halloween. What I did find was large slices of potiron. I began experimenting with this squash and developed a way of making a puree that was very close to the canned pumpkin available in North American supermarkets. Actually it's a whole lot more flavorful then canned pumpkin. You can make this concentrated squash puree with pumpkin, acorn squash, etc. and it can be used in any number of dishes, both sweet and savory. Squash Flan Savory flans are popular starter courses in France. The only tricky part about making flans is moving the bain marie in and out of the oven. It helps to use a deep roasting pan. Flan de courge 2 cups pumpkin or other squash puree 4 eggs 3/4 cup milk 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper pinch of Piment d'Esplette or cayenne pepper 1 cup crème fraîche (or sour cream) 1/4 cup chopped chives

1. Preheat oven to 320°F (160° C).
2. Thoroughly coat the sides and bottom of a two quart au gratin dish with butter. Alternatively you can use ramekins or custard cups. This recipe makes enough for 6 1 cup ramekins.
3. Whisk together the squash puree, eggs, milk, Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and piment or cayenne pepper.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish. Place the baking dish inside of a deep roasting pan and fill the roasting pan with water so that the baking dish is 1/2 way submerged.
5. Bake at 325°F (160°C) for 40 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center of the flan comes out clean. If you are using individual ramekins the baking time will be closer to 30 minutes.
6. Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven, then remove the dish from the hot water bath. Allow the flan to cool a few minutes before serving.
7. To serve the ramekins, run a sharp knife carefully around the edge of the flan. Place a serving plate on top of the ramekin, then flip so the flan slides onto the plate.
8. Mix the crème fraîche or sour cream with the chopped chives. Serve this with the flan.

Makes 6 servings.

Print Recipe

Butternut Squash Soup

Cooking butternut squash is such a pleasure. Slicing into the pale skin, one is pleasantly surprised by the vibrant orange within. This soup is really just a starting point and I hope you will feel free to play with seasonings however you wish.

Potage à la courge musquée

• 1 butternut squash (about 2 pounds)
• 1 large potato
• 1 large onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 quart of chicken or vegetable stock
• 2 tablespoons concentrated tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• salt, if needed

1. Wash and dry the squash and potato. Peel and chop them into 1 inch pieces. Peel and chop the onion. Peel and mince the garlic and ginger.
2. Melt the butter on medium heat in a large and sturdy pot. Add the chopped onion, garlic, and ginger. Stir in the cumin and black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, for five minutes.
3. Add in the squash and potato and mix thoroughly with the onion mixture to coat the vegetables. Add the stock, tomato paste and lemon juice and stir to combine.
4. Bring the soup to a boil, then turn the heat down. Cover the pot and simmer for about 25 minutes - just until the vegetables are tender.
5. Remove the pot from the heat and allow the soup to cool some before processing.
6. Puree the soup in a blender, working in small batches. Pour the soup from the blender into a new pot.
7. Place the pureed soup on medium heat and stir in the cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Warm through and serve immediately.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Spaghetti Squash Gratiné

It is no exaggeration that the French will gratin just about anything. And who doesn't like their vegetables mixed with a little cream and topped with cheese? Not your kids I know.

• 1 spaghetti squash, about 4 pounds
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 2 tablespoons creme fraiche or cream
• 2 ounces shredded Gruyere or other cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C.
2. Wash and dry the squash. Slice the ends off of the squash. Balance it on one of the sliced ends and then slice through the squash lengthwise. Use a spoon to scrape out the fiber and seeds.
3. Place the cut squash flesh side up on a baking sheet. Drizzle a little olive oil on each half and use a pastry brush to distribute the oil. Sprinkle on some salt and pepper. Place in the oven to bake for 40 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and allow the squash to cool enough to handle easily. Use a fork to scrape up and shred the flesh into filaments (the spaghetti).
5. Place the shredded flesh in a greased baking dish and stir together with the 2 tablespoons of heavy cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Top with the shredded cheese and bake for 15 minutes at 190°C.

Makes about 6 side dish servings.

Squash Dessert Souffle

• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 1/2 cup sugar + 1/4 cup sugar = a little more
• 1 1/2 cups squash puree
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1:4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice or cream of tartar

1. Separate the eggs and allow them to come to room temperature for about 20 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190° C). Thoroughly grease 8 ramekins or one 2 quart souffle dish using a pastry brush and melted butter. Sprinkle a little sugar into each cup or the dish and turn to coat the sides and bottom, then knock out the excess sugar.
3. Mix the egg yolks with the squash puree, 1/2 cup of sugar, half and half, and spices.
4. Beat the egg whites with the lemon juice or cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Continue beating and sprinkle in 1/4 cup of sugar. Continue beating until the meringue is stiff and shiny.
5. Stir 1/4 of the meringue into the squash mixture to lighten it up. Place the rest of the egg whites on top of the squash mixture and gently fold them in using a cutting, folding and turning motion.
6. Pour the souffle mixture into the prepared dish or ramekins. If you are using ramekins, a ladle is very useful for distributing the batter neatly and evenly.
7. Place the dish or ramekins in the preheated oven and bake for 17 minutes for the ramekins or 30 minutes for the larger dish.

Makes 8 servings.

Next Issue

That's it for squash for this newsletter. Personally, I still have a kitchen full of them, so I better get cooking.

For the next issue, due out in November, I haven't decided. But surely something tasty. Happy cooking until then.

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A bientôt and remember to enjoy your food!

Your friend in France,

Kim Go from French Squash Recipes to La Marmite Back Issues