Baby Harvest Squash Crème Brûlée

A harvest gourd ladled with Squash Crème Brûlée: rustic sophistication

Happy Thanksgiving my American friends. Squash. Upside down on a sheet pan for 45 minutes in a medium oven and and a knobby earthen bowl filled with sticky stringy caramelized candy emerges. When Aube posted a Roasted Squash Crème Brûlée for the harvest challenge of The Canadian Food Experience Project, I already had the squash. I should have bought more.

Crème Brûlée is very easy to make and a favourite family dessert. It seems that this is the year for adding squash and sweet potatoes to everything: biscuits, bread, cookies, ice cream, and Crème Brûlée. If it wasn’t served in its shell, it may not have caught my eye. Yet, it is a delicious pumpkin-like concoction on its own. More like pumpkin pie than Crème Brûlée, yet still unusual enough. Especially in Mother Nature’s vessel.

I had enough filling for six servings this size. The puff-belly sunk as it cooled. Maybe a squash themed meal is in order? Soup or a main and dessert each served in half a gourd. I recall having dinner in a pumpkin for my girls when they were little on Hallowe’en.

Hubbard, Green Acorn and Gold Acorn squash, left to right, below.

The tasting was revealing. The Hubbard squash had considerably less flesh than the other two and the dark orange colour had me convinced the flavour would be considerably more “squashy”. The differences were subtle between these three, but the green acorn was slightly meatier with an earthier, brighter, and more complex flavour. The yellow acorn was a lighter in flavour and a little more watery. The Hubbard was tasty, but somewhat dull compared to the Green Acorn.

However, it is so pretty. The seeds were delicious, as well. Scraped them our, separated from the pulp, salted while still wet and let them dry. Once dry, simply toasted in a dry frying pan until they started to pop. About 1/4 cup of seeds from each: just enough for an evening snack.

I chose to heat the milk in a pot on the stove to infuse the spice mixture. The rest was done in my Thermomix, though instructions are provided for both.

Duck eggs make a lofty Crème Brûlée, but I didn’t have any on hand; however, I always have beautiful eggs from my favourite organic free range farmer at the market. The squash left over from the tasting was mixed in to the diffused milk.

Lots of stringy little bits of texture in that mixture., but the squash cooled the milk considerably and were added to the eggs and sugar whipped in the Thermomix.

I often use my canning funnel over the hole in the lid of my Thermomix for pouring liquid ingredients into the bowl. Works well.

I thought that I could liquify the texture of the squash so that it would not need to go through a sieve, and if I had puréed the squash before adding it to the milk mixture, I could have solved this problem.

Bottoms of each half need to have a sliver sliced off so that each sits level. Pour water in to check this. It may appear level, but you need to be sure.

Into the sieve and a jar to chill until ready to bake.

Fourty-five minutes later…. and a wee bit over baked, little puff belly squash halves emerged. I had tasted the Crème Brûlée mixture, and it was not sweet. I might consider serving this as a vegetable side some time, sans the sugar. They are so adorable just as they are.

Don’t buy one of those little kitchen blow torches. Buy a real-woman blow torch. A big one. That is the only kind that will actually accomplish what you need to with one in the kitchen. Seriously.

They are dangerous. So much so that I won’t use it unless Vanja is nearby, and he wouldn’t leave the area knowing it was in my hand, anyway. Plus, he starts my real-woman torch. And turns it off.

You know by now that the smallest things bring me joy. Bliss. Knock on squash. I could. I did. The sugar may look wet, but it is sheer melted stained golden glass glory. Knock-knock. This is going to shatter perfectly at first rap.

It did. The interior of the Squash Crème Brûlée was more dense than an eggy Crème Brûlée, as one might expect. Yet, light in its own right. The lush fluent velvet consistency was a sumptuous symphony of pleasure. The shards of sugar glass crunched sweet glory at intervals choruses of “hallelujah”. It was pretty good.

The flesh of the gourd gave way to the spoon. The transition from the Crème Brûlée to the meaty sweet vegetable was subtle. This Squash Crème Brûlée finished with me scraping the bowl.

Squash Crème Brûlée is home food. Sophisticated. Rustic. It was the perfect little indulgence that spelled satisfaction today after our Sunday Supper.

5 from 2 votes

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Baby Harvest Squash Crème Brûlée

Baby Harvest Squash Crème Brûlée is a novel and rustic home-for-the-holidays celebration in a hollowed out squash half that will wow your family and guests. This recipe is from Aube at Kitchen Vignettes.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Canadian

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings 8 -10

Author Valerie Lugonja

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 5 egg yolks
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup roasted squash purée
• 4 to 5 baby squashes , each about 4 inches in diameter and round in shape
• 3 tbsp extra fine berry sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Cut squash in half; scoop out seeds with a little flesh to form a bowl
3. Cut a thin slice off bottom round to stabilize the bowl (no wobbling)
4. Place squash halves on a large baking sheet
5. Beat egg yolks with 1/3 cup sugar until pale yellow and sugar has dissolved
6. Combine cream with spices in pan on medium heat; bring to an "almost"boil: take off heat just before bubbling
7. Whisk in vanilla and squash purée
8. Whisk in egg yolk mixture until smooth
9. Sieve into prepared squash halves
10. Bake at 350F 30 to 45 minutes, or until custard is set and jiggles
11. Cool completely
12. Sprinkle sugar on top of each custard (a teaspoon or 2 to completely cover)
13. Move blow torch flame around just above surface until sugar caramelizes or place crème brûlée under your broiler set to high heat
14. Watch closely as they will caramelize very quickly
15. Serve immediately

Instructions for the Thermomix:

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Cut squash in half; scoop out seeds with a little flesh to form a bowl
3. Cut a thin slice off bottom round to stabilize the bowl (no wobbling)
4. Place squash halves on a large baking sheet
5. Place egg yolks and sugar into the TM bowl; whip for 5 minutes on speed 4 until pale yellow and sugar has dissolved
6. Combine cream with spices in pan on medium heat; bring to an "almost"boil: take off heat just before bubbling
7. Whisk in vanilla and squash purée to cool cream
8. Set Thermomix for 2 minutes at speed 4; add cream and squash mixture to egg mixture through the hole in the lid
9. Sieve into prepared squash halves and extra bowls, if necessary
10. Bake at 350F 30 to 45 minutes, or until custard is set and jiggles
11. Cool completely
12. Sprinkle sugar on top of each custard (a teaspoon or 2 to completely cover)
13. Move blow torch flame around just above surface until sugar caramelizes or place crème brûlée under your broiler set to high heat
14. Watch closely as they will caramelize very quickly
15. Serve immediately

Recipe Notes

As you will have 5 egg whites after making this recipe, plan to make a pavlova or a dessert with meringue. I usually do a 4 egg white pavlova, and this time, I will throw in an extra egg white.
I also had other dishes available as this is large recipe.