Butternut Squash Crumble – Recipe!

I’m a huge fan of David Lebovitz, an American who writes a food blog in Paris.  Maybe it’s more than just being a fan, I’m in fact envious as I read his posts about his travels around Paris and its out-skirting towns to restaurants, bakeries and cafes, eating and writing about his wondrous adventures.  Who wouldn’t want that life?  David Lebovitz is not just a blogger, but a trained chef who had worked for Alice Waters at Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California and who has written countless cookbooks.  He’s a trained pastry chef and can navigate his way through creating an amazing cocktail too.  I possess a few of his books and I often read them for inspiration before preparing for a dinner party, or creating a post here on my blog.

His recipe for Butternut Squash Crumble, out of his cookbook, “My Paris Kitchen” is something to try at home, especially around this time of the year when winter squash sounds so darn good.  His recipe has a unique crumble made from breadcrumbs and cornmeal, which gives it an incredible texture.  I also love this recipe because it’s not loaded down with dairy of any kind, not that I’m opposed to cheese and cream.

This dish is different, yet special and feeds a crowd.  It could easily replace those marshmallow sweet potatoes on your Thanksgiving table without complaints.  You could even serve this as a main dish for a vegetarian dinner and toss up a nice salad to go with it.  If you haven’t read davidleboviz.com you don’t know what you are missing, he even gives tours around Paris, but you better book ahead – as I have yet to capture one.

Ingredients

Filling

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 pounds butternut squash, diced into cubes

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

2 large shallots, minced

1 cup chicken stock, or vegetable

salt & pepper

Crumble

3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs from stale bread

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

1 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons butter, cold diced

1 large egg

(Serves 8)

To Prepare:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Butter a shallow 3-quart baking dish.
2. In a very large skillet or Dutch oven, add butter and olive oil and place over medium heat.  Add squash, thyme, shallots, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.  Cook mixture for 5 minutes, while occasionally stirring.  Add stock and turn heat to simmer.  Place lid on top of pan and continue to cook for 4 minutes.  Remove from heat and spoon squash into prepared pan, set aside.
3. In a food processor, add dry bread, cornmeal and Parmesan, pulse several times until combined.  Add thyme, sugar, salt and butter and pulse again until coarse crumbs.  Add egg and pulse until mixture just begins to come together.
4. Sprinkle crumbs over squash and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown on top and squash is fork tender.  Remove from oven and serve.  Enjoy!