I wanted to do another butternut squash recipe today and found Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe for five-spice butternut squash in cheesy custard. Incase you don’t know……Yotam Ottolenghi is one of the most talented vegetable chefs in the world so if you come across one of his recipes that it is worth doing. He’s a multi award winning and James Beard award winning cook book author, chef, and restauranteur. I rounded some of the ingredients slightly. Maybe the biggest change I made was to use the whole squash instead of half the squash……The original recipe puts half the squash in the middle of a cast iron pan and all the cheesy custard is all around. For this recipe the butternut squash is also cut into thick one inch slices with the skin that look attractive in the picture for Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe but I hasselback cut mine and removed the skin.. I guess it really doesn’t matter how you slice it up. I was thinking that I wanted to use the whole squash. To me it seemed like the whole squash would be better in thin slices…..ANYWAY it comes out really surprisingly great! That Yotam Ottolenghi is a genius. Serving size is difficult to judge since all butternut squashes are different sizes and some people like small servings other people like large servings. I used a medium sized whole squash. I got around 6 servings.

Ingredients for around 6 servings

1 butternut squash – Cut in half longways and remove the seeds. Yotam’s recipe says to leave the squash. skin on and to cut into 3/4 inch slices and to only use one half of the squash. I used both halves, removed skin (precooked at 425F for 15 minutes and then did a hasselback cut. You do what you want.

5 large shallots – Peeled &. halved lengthwise. (I could only find small shallots so I used 9)

2 1/2 Tablespoons olive oil

I teaspoon 5 spice powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

3/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons chicken or vegetable stock

8 oz heavy cream

4 oz gruyere cheese – shredded (2oz +2oz)

5 yolks

2 garlic cloves ground to paste

2 teaspoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons white miso

1 1/2 Tablespoons toasted white sesame seeds

1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper

1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/8 teaspoon 5-spice powder

2 Tablespoons olive oil

pinch sea salt

1/4 cup chives cut into 1/3 inch slices (I used scallions)

1 1/2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

Directions

Set the oven to 450 degrees F.

If you are following the way chef Ottolenghi did things then you are placing your squash in the middle of a cast iron skillet (skin up) with half the shallots. – If you are using the whole squash I suggest a baking dish.

In a small mixing bowl combine the oil, 5-spice powder, cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper, Use a spoon and coat the butternut squash and shallots with this mixture.

This goes in the oven for 25 minutes or until the squash is tender but not falling apart. If you used small shallots like I did you might have to pull them out a little early like in 15 minutes. Note to self……Maybe a closer substitute for larges shallots might be small red onions….Take this out of the oven when squash is done

Turn down the oven to 325 F

in a sauce pan on medium heat heat up the stock and heavy cream together till simmering. In a medium bowl mix together 2oz of the shredded cheese, yolks, garlic, corn starch, and white miso. Ladle out a small amount of the simmering cream mixture into the yolk mixture. Add a little more….mix ….and add a little more maybe a couple more times. Then pour that mixture back into the sauce pot and whisk till the mixture is thickened. Pour the mixture around the squash. Top the custard with the remaining shallots. This goes in the oven for 15-18 minutes.

Put a small fry pan on medium low heat with the oil, sesame seeds, Aleppo pepper, sweet paprika, five-spice, pinch sea salt. Cook for two minutes. Let cool. When cool add the chives and lime juice.

A Special THANKS to Yotam Ottolenghi for sharing another Forking Amazing recipe!