This dessert makes me happy because, well it’s dessert, and dessert is delicious! But on the other hand, it makes me sad, because Celeste, one of my old room-mates made it, and now she is on a cross country road trip to Newfoundland with her fiancée (and my other room-mate) Ross, which means they no longer live in Saskatoon with me! Sadness 
On the positive side, she is blogging their whole adventure on Sugar Cured, if you love food, travel, and cursing, definitely check it out!
Whenever Ross & Celeste both had the day off of work (Celeste was a pastry chef at Ayden, while Ross was cook there), they would often whip up some amazing dinners for “Roomies Day Off” as we called it. On one of their days off, Ross whipped up a delicious dinner, creating this delicious take on Surf and Turf.
Needless to say, I was one of the luckiest guys in Saskatoon, having these two amazing chefs living with me. Knowing they would only be living in Saskatoon for a short time, just made everything taste that much more delicious, but a little bitter-sweet ;)! Anyways, Celeste actually made this dessert in January of last year, but given that Butternut Squash was out of season, and we hadn’t set up her blog yet, I wanted to wait to post it! Fortunately, her blog is now set up, and squash is upon us! It also just so happens, that Ross & Celeste came through Saskatoon on their journey to Newfoundland, and staying over for a couple days, making it an entirely appropriate time to post!
- --------
- Filling
- --------
- 374 g butternut squash purée
- 2 eggs
- 120 g brown sugar
- 6 grams salt
- 350 g cream
- Zest of 1 orange
- -------------
- Tart shell
- -------------
- 360 g flour
- 17g sugar
- 2 g salt
- 227 g butter
- 1 egg
- 4 tbsp cold water
- Splash of white vinegar
- Couple pinches of thyme
- Cut butternut squash in half, cover in tinfoil and roast in oven at 400F until tender, about 30-40 minutes (depending on the size of the squash).
- Once roasted, let squash cool, then remove skin, and puree in blender or food processor.
- In a blender, add ingredients for tart, mixing until smooth.
- In a mixing bowl, add flour, sugar, salt, then rub the butter in by hand until it forms a sandy consistency, then add in the wet ingredients, and a couple pinches of thyme, mixing until a dough forms. Form dough into a ball and wrap in saran wrap, allowing to sit in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Once the dough has cooled, preheat oven to 350F.
- Roll dough flat until about ¼ inch thick, then place and press into tart shell, pour filling into shell, and bake for 20-30 minutes until filling is set, and tart shell is lightly browned.
- Top with some whipped cream, sweetened to taste with maple syrup!
This tart makes a wonderful dessert as the weather gets cold, with its hearty butternut squash filling, complimented by its buttery shell, with notes of thyme. If I ever make it, I will enjoy it smiling through my tears, thinking about how much I miss living with Ross & Celeste! Okay, I’m a little sarcastic, no tears would be involved, but it would make me sad and happy all at once.
If you enjoy the recipe, be sure to check out the adventures of Ross & Celeste on Sugar Cured!
Bob
