My Savory Squash Flan was such a success that I thought I’d follow it up with a sweet one - it’s just as easy as the savory. 

Tis the season of sweet treats so perhaps you can feel a little better about yourself by serving up a local veggie for dessert.  This flan isn’t too sweet or rich so it can do double duty as a brunch buffet item.

Get the squash at your winter farmer’s market or CSA… or worst case scenario pick one up that’s been hiding out near the old Halloween pumpkins at your grocers.  Worst WORST case scenario you can pick up a can of squash mash at your closest Whole Foods or similar.

Sweet Squash Flan

1 medium butternut squash (or can of squash puree)
1/2 plus 1/3 cup sugar
1 (12 oz.) can evaporated milk
4 freerange eggs
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cloves

Preheat oven to 375.

Halve the squash lengthwise, discard the seeds, and place cut side down on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake for an hour, or until soft to the touch all over. Cool and set aside.

Reduce oven temp to 350

Scoop flesh from the squash. Discard the skin. Puree in a blender until smooth and creamy.

Pour 1/2 cup of sugar into a small heavy saucepan.  Heat over medium-low.  When sugar is fully melted pour into a round 9″ cake pan, quickly tipping the pan before the caramel cools to coat the bottom.
 
Combine 1 1/2 cups of squash puree, 1/3 cup sugar, eggs, evaporated milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a medium-sized bowl or blender.  Blend until combined.

Pour the batter into the caramel-coated cake pan. Place the cake pan in a larger shallow pan or baking sheet.  Add an inch of hot water to the larger pan.
 
Bake for 50 minutes or until the center of the flan is a consistent texture to the edges and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool fully - at least 2 hours. To serve, loosen edges of the flan with a thin knife, place a large plate over the flan and quickly invert onto the plate.

Pesto may seem like a summer thing but this one was made with real live veggies that are still growing in New York (err, as of last weekend at least.)  Spinach and sage are pretty hardy as far as greens and herbs go and there is something smoky and rich about sage that makes it perfect for the holiday season.  Why resort to dried herbs when you can still use fresh?

I used this pesto to top a sweet and nutty Sunchoke Latke but you can use it perk up any winter root - how about smothering a pan of roasted potatoes with it?  Or stirring it into celery root mash?

If you want to get really wild, open a box of pasta (size and design your choice) and dump it into a simmering pot of well-salted water.  Cook to al dente, drain, and mix in enough pesto to make the whole shebang green and yummy.

Time: 15 minutes
Makes about 2 cups of pesto

Winter Sage Pesto

1 cup walnuts, chopped
1/4 sweet onion, roughly chopped
1/2 cup loosely packed sage leaves, stems removed and roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups loosely packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil or more
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

Grind up the walnuts in a blender until coarsely ground.  Add the onion, sage, spinach, lemon and olive oil.

Blend until well combined.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Thin out with more olive oil if desired.

Well, it’s December. It’s dark, it’s windy, it’s coooooold. My Internet has been down for weeks, my camera isn’t functioning*, and the zipper busted on my warmest winter coat.

So, gentle readers, I’m sending you this recipe in faith that the Winter Solstice will come swiftly, and without any more damage to my personal items or psyche.

The bright spot in all this is my fridge full of hearty winter crops from my new winter CSA share. Homely things like turnips, rutabagas, kohlrabi and parsnips. They look so dirty, plain and unlovable filling up my fridge that it’s a joy Cinderella-ing them into happy bone-warming meals.

This is an easy one. You can make it even when your patience has all but been sucked out like the weak winter light. It’s very forgiving. Use garlic instead of leaks. Mismeasure the flour and milk. Eat it for breakfast with eggs, lunch with beans, or dinner by yourself and It’s a Wonderful Life.

*Below photo shot with a borrowed Nikon D40

Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6 as a side dish

Pan-sized Sunchoke Latkes

8 large sunchokes, or enough to make 6 cups grated
1 leek, chopped
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup milk/soymilk
2 eggs or egg replacer
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly cracked pepper
olive oil for frying

Scrub the sunchokes well but do not peel. As your mother always says, that’s where the vitamins are. Plus, it’s a pain in the ass. Grate the sunchokes with a box grater.

In a large bowl mix together the grated sunchoke, leek, flour, milk, egg, salt and pepper.

Heat a good bit of oil in a medium-sized (8 inch or so) skillet. Add 1/2 the sunchoke mix so there is a complete but thin layer of the batter in the skillet. Fry slowly over medium-low heat.

Once the edges are starting to brown (about 5-7 minutes), use a spatula to release the latke from the bottom of the pan, put a plate over the top of the skillet and invert quickly.

Add a bit more oil to the pan, bring to heat, and slide the latke back into the pan, cooked side up. Cook for another 5-7 minutes until golden on the second side.

The recipe above is enough to make two 8-inch latkes. If you’re quick on the draw you can cook them both up at the same time (in separate pans, of course) or make the first one, keep it in a 200 degree oven to warm, then cook the second.

You can cut into wedges to serve or just let your guests go at them like wild animals. Very good topped with Winter Sage Pesto.