Butternut Squash Cheddar Galette

This was my first galette, and it was savory! I kind of associate galettes with sweetness, because I see so many recipes for sweet fruit ones, but this savory one was great. Perfect for packing lunches, and since the pie crust is rolled so thinly, you get more filling per pie crust (and therefore less butter per serving : ) ) This was also the first real think I've cooked since I started my new job (!!!). I'm not used to cooking so little, but I'm surprisingly drained after getting home from a whole day of training (after busy weekends of helping my parents out). Definitely hoping that I get some more energy to cook after work, and I think I will once I've completed training and the weather gets nicer/brighter.

I used about 1/4 the original recipe's measure of olive oil, so if you want to use the full 1/4th cup, feel free, I just feel it would be too greasy like that, but as you can see, my butternut squash was a little wrinkly (but still delicious). Up to you!

Butternut Squash Chedder Galette
slightly adapted from Domestic Deborah

Ingredients:
1 recipe pate brisee/pie crust (I used Martha Stewart's recipe)
1.5 lbs butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup aged white cheddar, grated
1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. fresh sage, minced
1 tsp. salt
black pepper to taste
1 large egg yolk + 1 Tbs. cold water


Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375F.
2. Roll out pastry into a 12" circle. Place on a large baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and refridgerate until ready to use.
3. Combine butternut squash, onion, cheddar, olive oil, sage, salt, and pepper in a mixing bowl and fold together until mixture is reasonably consistent and lightly coated in olive oil.
4.  Mound filling onto the pie crust and spread out evenly, leaving 2" of pie crust all around the edges. Fold edge of crust over the filling.
5. Whisk together egg yolk and water, and brush onto crust.
6. Bake for 45-50 minutes (or more) until crust is golden brown and butternut squash is cooked (it may not completely soften and that's fine).
7. Let galette cool for 30 minutes, then serve

Sweet Potato Schupfnudeln with Brown Butter and Thyme

 These delicious little things are basically sweet potato gnocchi, rolled long and pan-fried. Definitely worth the work. You could probably serve these with simple olive oil and grated Parmesan.

Sweet Potato Schupfnudeln with Brown Butter and Thyme
from 1 big bite

Ingredients:
1 lb. sweet potato
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
5 Tbs. flour + more (I used quite a bit more)
2 tsp. ghee (or oil) + more as needed

for browned butter:
5.3 Tbs. butter
5 sprigs thyme

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 450F. Pierce sweet potato all over with a fork, and bake on a lined baking sheet (or I used my bread pan) and bake for 30-45 minutes, or until a fork slides easily through the flesh.
2. After sweet potato has cooled for a bit, mash with a fork and add yolk, salt, nutmeg, and flour. Once thoroughly combined, add just enough flour to get a dough that comes together nicely (may be a little sticky)
3. Dust hands and cutting board with flour. Form a log, and cut into ieces until each piece is finger-length and thick.
4. Heat pan to medium-high heat, and melt ghee. Cook schupfnudeln until golden brown, rotating so at least 3 sides of each are browned.
5. Garnish with browned butter and leaves of 2 thyme sprigs.

for browned butter:
1. Add butter and leaves of 3 springs of thyme to sauce pan over medium heat. Once butter has melted, stir until little brown specks form at the bottom. Take off heat, and drizzle over schupfnudeln.

Pâte sablée

Pâte sablée
from Yasmine's Kitchen

Ingredients:
125 g. butter, cold, cut into small cutes
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 egg yolk, beaten with a drop of vanilla extract

Instructions:
1. Put flour, sugar, and salt in food processor and pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until texture is like coarse cornmeal.
2. Add egg yolk, and combine until dough seems less dry (don't wait for dough to come together, test to see if mixture comes together when you squeeze a pinch)
3. Butter a tart pan, and press in dough evenly, not pressing too hard. Cover with tin foil and freeze for 40 minutes or more.
4. Pre-heat oven to 375 F, and cook crust for 20-25 minutes not letting it brown. Let cool before using.

Fruit Tart

It would be easy to make just the creme part of this, put it in a bowl, and eat it. So delicious! I'm never using sugar cookie dough and boxed custard jello to make a fruit tart again (well, maybe I would still use a sugar cookie dough crust : ) )

Fruit Tart
from joy of baking

Ingredients:
1 tart or pie pastry for the crust (I bought a roll of pastry)
1 1/4 cups (300 mL) milk or cream (or a combination)
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup (50 g.) granulated white sugar
2 Tbs. (20 g.) all-purpose flour
2 Tbs (20 g.) cornstarch
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 Tbs. liqueur (optional)
1/2 cup (120 g.) apricot preserves
1 Tbs. water
3 cups (720 mL) fruit

Instructions:
1. Cook tart according to packaged directions (poking holes in the bottom of the crust with a fork to avoid the bottom puffing up) and set aside.
2. In a sauce pan, bring the milk just to boiling.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk sugar and egg yolks together. Whisk in flour and cornstarch until a paste forms.
4. Once milk boils, whisk the sugar/egg mixture while pouring the milk into.
5. Once combined, put back into the pan and cook until boiling, whisking constantly until creme becomes thick. Take off heat and whisk in vanilla and liquor (if using).
6. Pour immediately into a clean container and cover with lid (very important!).
7. Put the water and apricot preserves into a bowl, and microwave for about 1.5 mins (taking out and stirring every 30 seconds) until completely liquid. Brush a little bit of apricot preserves onto the entire inside of the cooked tart crust, and set aside to dry for 20 mins.
8. While crust is drying, cut up fruit (I used strawberries, raspberries, and kiwi).
9. After tart is dried, spread the creme evenly into the crust, then layer the fruit on (in a pattern or just dump it all on), and then drizzle the rest of the apricot preserve glaze over the fruit (reheat if not fully liquid).