Out & About #1131 | Three Types of Squash + Halloween Finger Cookies

From the getgo, I knew that my picks from the 19th Avenue Farmer's Market were not at their optimal freshness. However, having never attempted to cook acorn or spaghetti squash, my senses for culinary exploration were tickled.

1) Acorn Squash

Most sources had cut the bulb-shaped vegetable into slices and roasted with the skin. However thin it was, I did not enjoy the skin one bit: It was bitter and utterly unpalatable, causing me to remove it in its entirety after roasting.
The flesh was starchy and quite bland. I had roasted the chunks in conjunction with the spaghetti squash, but found the pineapple-looking pieces barely adopting any seasoning.

​An undoubtedly tedious process, I also rinsed the seeds thoroughly with the intention of roasting or dehydrating them. Once clean, I distributed them across a baking tray and set the oven on the Dehydrate function. About 2.5h at 150 F rendered the seeds crisp throughout, but did not facilitate easy removal of the shells.

I popped two seeds in my mouth to taste - a mere sprinkle of salt would have saved the day. That said, they were difficult to stomach with the casing intact, consequently halting ingestion.

2) Spaghetti Squash

Spaghetti squash was an interesting root vegetable for experimentation. After roasting, the rigid skin separated easily from flesh. Seeds were few and flesh was bountiful. The cutting and seasoning process was identical to the acorn squash, though I took the opportunity to roast the strands again after thoroughly shredding.

Generally speaking, spaghetti squash was easy to prepare and delicious with just a bit of seasoning and roasting. I also finally understood why those adhering to a keto diet would use it in place of rice or other carbs. Both visually and texturally, it could successfully mimic the gratification and crunch sustained by chow mien. ​Without a doubt, this variation was would constitute a repurchase.

3) Butternut Squash Tart with Chocolate Ganache​

I had high hopes for a creamy, indulgent butternut squash soup; unfortunately, the squash had other plans in mind.

On its own, the vegetable bore no flavour whatsoever. Albeit starchy and somewhat creamy, butternut squashed demanded an abundance of seasoning (salt, pepper, warm spices) to render it even remotely tasty. I commenced by roasting the chunks, then steaming in a microwave, and eventually cooking on the stovetop. A smooth puree refused to form even with the assistance of my potato masher, thus summoning the immersion blender. Alas, even after blending, the purée wasn't completely smooth.

Cornstarch was added with the aim of making a sweet filling, though it is worth noting the squash naturally absorbed moisture on its own. Against my better judgement, I did not adhere to a recipe for this creation. My mind had begun to falter after being subject to continuous work and life stresses, and the slew of ill-informed decisions would persist over the course of the weekend.

Retrieving a frozen tart shell from the freezer, I settled on a custard-less Butternut Squash Tart.

Unmeasured filling ingredients are as follows:

• 1 butternut squash, skin removed and cut into chunks
• Molasses (only added enough to prevent darkening the filling)
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar
• Cinnamon
• Ground ginger
• Heavy cream (assisted in lightening the hue)

Since the filling seemed a tad lacklustre no matter how many times it was cooked/seasoned, I resolved to add a chocolate ganache layer on top. Given that I wasn't using a recipe of any sort, I had mistakenly added too much butter, causing the formula to separate. In order to stabilize the mixture, corn syrup and more chocolate couverture were mixed in. The 1:1 ratio of chocolate couverture to cream was exceeded, thus resulting a rather rigid surface that compacted the underlying butternut squash layer.

Ganache ingredients are as follows:

• Heavy cream infused with old rosemary and 1 cinnamon stick (190 g starting; 167 g effective after boiling)
• 57% semisweet chocolate
• Corn syrup
• Unsalted butter

Infusing the heavy cream with old rosemary led to minimal flavour payoff, to the point where I wish I had eliminated the steak spice altogether. As noted above, adding an excessive amount of butter not only refrained from achieving a ganache with a luscious sheen, but further cause separation and lumpiness. I attempted to salvage the topping by adding more chocolate and more cream, then a liberal squeeze of corn syrup for a pliable consistency. The chocolate layer was rigid after setting, but succeeded in contributing a velvety mouthfeel and robustness to the otherwise plain butternut squash filling.

​In essence, there was no way to improve complexity of the squash, despite roasting, steaming, and cooking with spices.
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Nevertheless, the office eagerly took to the tart when disposable plates and utensils were placed nearby.

I found the tart passable, and its chocolate ganache layer a positively indulgent and vital addition to the overall concoction. Less fond was I that the intensity of the chocolate resulted in breakouts shortly after.

Having experimented with acorn, spaghetti, and butternut squash, it suffices to say that kabocha remains the preferred variety for its versatility and depth of flavour. Not only is the Japanese variety extremely accessible in most grocery stores, it is also painless to prepare, adaptable to both sweet and savoury recipes, and boasts impressive umami and complexity.

Spaghetti squash ranked second for its similarly simple preparation, though docked points for being restricted to savoury applications. Perhaps I could contemplate its application in flat, crispy hashbrowns?

4) Halloween Finger Cookies

These perfectly creepy-looking concoctions are an annual tradition. ​Maintaining consistency with the previous year's iteration, I took to a trio of original, matcha, and black tea-flavoured doughs.

The original recipe called for 520 g of AP flour. I opted to add 506 g of flour, portion the dough across three bowls, then add the remaining dry ingredients:

i) Orig

• 397 g dough + 5 g AP flour

2) Black Tea

• 397 g dough + 5 g black tea powder (Bloom Café - Assam)

3) Matcha

• 397 g dough + 5 g matcha (Momo Tea - Take)

​In all cases, the dough was kneaded gently to incorporate the remaining flour.

​In my new oven, 350 F for 12 mins on the convection bake setting caused excessive browning. The Bake function caused burning in under 12 minutes, setting the fire alarm off in mayhem. 340 F for 12 mins, rotating halfway, emerged as the best approach.

​I also noticed distinctive particles of granulated sugar in the finished product, indicative of insufficient creaming of the butter and sugar. The emergence of such a visual was hard to stomach, being a rookie mistake and all, yet reflective of the troubled headspace lingering as of late. Ultimately, the taste of the cookies had not been altered: They were still as scrumptious as ever, though best in the original flavour.

Unlike the past two years, the almond slivers were affixed to the cookies using red food gel after baking, as opposed to pressed into the nail-shaped dent to adopt a golden brown hue. Arranging the almond slices before baking allowed them to toast gently in the oven, simultaneously earning themselves a wonderfully nutty aroma. This approach also eliminated the unseemly sight of red gel underneath the "nail", making for more realistic fingers.

On the other hand, adding the "nails" before baking risks snapping the almonds prematurely. The process of applying red gel also becomes more tedious, for one is now required to trace around the almond slice in one uniform motion.

​The gustatory profile of the cookies is impacted minimally regardless of the nail application approach. Similar remarks can be extended towards the authenticity of the Halloween-themed creation, for not a single member of the office hesitated before identifying the cookies as severed digits.

Finger cookies are denser, as the dough involves significant compaction to achieve the desired shape and creases. About half of each dough ball was portioned towards roll-out cookies. Formed into mini ghosts, moons, cats, and pumpkins, these variations saw improved texture (snappiness!) and fewer cracks (if any) due to less time spent working the dough.

Of course, I enjoy all cookies though.

5) Pecan-Almond-Hazelnut Crunch

Our household's signature cookie recipe strictly utilizes egg yolks. A full batch of cookies resulted in eight lonely egg whites.
Remnants were either microwaved and consumed as a source of protein, or combined with assorted nuts for the ultimate nut crunch.

Fresh pecans, raw almonds, oats, sesame seeds, and dry roasted, salted macadamia nuts were mixed with brown sugar, olive oil, and a pinch of salt as per my usual granola recipe. The sole deviation lay in the ratio of nuts to oats, and the elimination of dried fruit to prevent burning.

​The slab was baked at 350 F for about 30 minutes, rotating once at the midway point. When the underside persisted slightly soft, the entire slab was inverted and baked for about 10-15 minutes longer. An irresistibly crunch snack resulted from my meticulousness; it was neither cloying nor satiating, but hearty and gratifying.

​All in all, the weekend had been productive in terms of productions, albeit less so with regard to rest, recovery, and housekeeping.