Pickled Butternut Squash With Sage And Cardamom Recipes

BRIOCHE BREAD PUDDING WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE AND CARDAMOM

Steps:

• For the brioche: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, whisk the yeast and sugar together with the warm milk. Allow to sit for 5 to 7 minutes in a warm, draft-free place while the yeast blooms and forms a foamy raft on the surface. When this happens, your yeast is alive and ready to go.
• Whisk 4 of the eggs into the yeast mixture until thoroughly combined. Add the all-purpose flour, bread flour and salt. Start the mixer on low speed and mix for 2 minutes, until the dough begins to come together into a shaggy mass. Increase the speed to medium and mix the dough for 2 minutes more to activate the gluten.
• Add the softened butter 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing each addition to completely incorporate before adding the next. The dough will get very sticky. Continue mixing until the dough is shiny and smooth, 3 minutes.
• Transfer the dough to a well-greased large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour, remove the plastic and scoop the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Punch down the dough by pressing it firmly with your hands until it deflates back to its original size. Spread it out slightly and fold the dough into thirds like a letter, bringing the top half over the center and the bottom half up and over the center. Place the dough back into the greased bowl, seam side down. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to chill in refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.
• Grease an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch loaf pan (6-cup capacity) with butter or shortening.
• Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator and punch down once more. Scoop the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured surface and flatten into an 8-by-12-inch rectangle. Starting from a shorter end, roll the dough up to form a log and place, seam-side down, in the prepared pan.
• Cover the pan loosely with plastic wrap or a kitchen towel and allow to proof one last time in a warm draft-free place, until the dough expands to reach the top of the loaf pan, 1 to 2 hours. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Beat the remaining egg and 1 tablespoon of water to make your egg wash. Lightly brush egg wash all over the top of brioche. Bake until it is deep golden brown on top, 35 to 40 minutes. (If you are unsure if the brioche is done, the internal temperature should measure 200 degrees F.) Allow the brioche to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool to room temperature.
• For the bread pudding: Slice the brioche into 1-inch cubes and arrange on a baking sheet. Bake until the bread cubes are crisp and slightly crunchy but not as hard as croutons, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool while you prepare the custard.
• Add the milk to a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Add the cinnamon, peppercorns and nutmeg. Smash the cardamom pods with bottom of a bowl or glass, just enough for pod to burst and release seeds and add to the pot. Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds with the back of a paring knife. Add the pod and seeds to the milk. Bring to a simmer, then remove from the heat to allow the aromatics to steep for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and sweetened condensed milk. Slowly stream into the infused milk mixture while whisking constantly.
• Add the toasted brioche to a 9-by-13-inch ovenproof glass pan. Pour the milk and egg mixture over. (You may have to add half the milk mixture and let the bread absorb it before adding the rest.) Sprinkle the white chocolate chips over the top.
• Bake until the custard is set, 35 to 40 minutes. If the bread pudding starts to brown too quickly, cover with aluminum foil for the duration of cooking time.
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Dust with confectioners' sugar before serving.

PICKLED SQUASH

Steps:

• In a large non-aluminum pot, combine the squash, bell pepper, and onions. Cover with salt, and let stand for 2 hours to release the liquids. Stir occasionally.
• Just before the 2 hours are up, combine the sugar, vinegar, mustard seed, turmeric and celery seed in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Drain the salty liquid from the vegetables. Pour the spice brine over the vegetables, and let stand for 2 more hours.
• Bring to a boil once again, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Ladle into 1 pint sterile jars, filling with the liquid to within 1/4 inch of the top. Wipe rims with a clean towel, and run a thin spatula around the inside of the jar to remove air bubbles. Seal with lids and rings. Process for 10 minutes in a simmering water bath to seal completely.

PISTACHIO AND CARDAMOM CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line a cupcake pan with 24 regular cupcake liners.
• Sift the flour, instant pistachio pudding, baking powder and cardamom into a bowl. Combine the buttermilk, sour cream and oil into another bowl and set aside. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar and butter until the mixture is lighter in color and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Add the vanilla, almond and pistachio flavors. Add one egg at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Turn the mixer to the lower speed, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture, alternating between the two, beginning and ending with the flour. Lastly, fold in by hand, the salted chopped pistachios.
• Fill the prepared cupcake liners half full with batter and bake until golden and baked though, 25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes completely.
• For the date and honey filling: In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the dates, honey, 1/4 cup water and cardamom together and cook until over medium-low heat until the mixtures becomes thicker, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a dish and cool.
• For the orange cream cheese frosting: Whip the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment at medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the juice, orange extract, vanilla extract, salt and zest and beat until fully incorporated. Then lower the speed and add the powdered sugar incrementally and beat for 3 more minutes. Put the frosting into a pastry bag and cut 1/2 inch off the tip.
• To assemble: Using an apple corer, remove a piece of the cupcake from the center. Fill the cupcake with 1 teaspoon of the date and honey filling. Using a large round tip #809, pipe the orange cream cheese frosting and garnish with the toasted pistachios

BUTTERNUT SQUASH NOODLES WITH PROSCIUTTO AND SAGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Cut the bulbous end off the squash and reserve for another use. Remove the stem, then peel the remaining squash and cut in half crosswise. Using a spiralizer, shave the squash into ribbons.
• Put the squash on a baking sheet and toss with the oil. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and roast until tender but still firm, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium heat until melted. Add the prosciutto in a single layer and cook until golden and curled around the edges, flipping with tongs halfway through, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate to cool, then coarsely crumble.
• Add the remaining 5 tablespoons butter to the drippings in the skillet along with the sage leaves and a pinch of salt, and cook, stirring often, until the butter is a dark brown color, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• Put the squash on a serving platter and drizzle with the butter and sage leaves. Top with the Parmesan and coarsely crumbled prosciutto. Serve immediately.