Hey there!

Hope you are ready to launch into your weekend with a delicious appetizer! Appetizers are the perfect food to me. There are so many good things about them…they are small, meaning you can have many more and still be within the “acceptable” range of eating, you can get a variety of different foods, styles, and types of cuisine-you never have to stick with a theme or try to make things “go together,” and you can usually eat them with your hands. See? Perfection. I would almost always order, like, everything off the appetizer menu than just one entrée. For some reason Michael does not feel the same way, we really should have talked about that in our pre-marriage counseling…

Anywayyyy. Speaking of marriage, my in-laws were up to visit last weekend. I’m pretty lucky because I have awesome in-laws, and I’m not just saying that cuz I know they read this (Hi guys!) they are truly awesome. I spent the weekend cooking everything from the most recent issues of Food and Wine, Bon Appetite, and Cooking Light with her. Sounds like a great weekend, huh?!?

This butternut squash tart came from Bon Appetite. As soon as I turned the page to it, I knew I had to make it. And boy, and I glad we did! This one is going in my permanent appetizer recipe bank.

I love butternut squash so obviously I loved the nutty, slightly sweet slices so carefully arranged on fluffy, buttery puff pastry. Plus, you get to practice your kindergarten skills while brushing the puff pastry! I’ve never yet met someone who doesn’t like to play with their food.

The fried sage is an amazing touch. Earthy, homey, and (gasp!) crunchy! I think I will be frying up sage and adding it to lots of dishes this fall!

But, for me, what was so special about this dish was the pepper honey sauce.

I used a Serrano pepper – I like it hot people! – even though the recipe says to use a jalapeno or thai chili. The hot bite of the pepper combined with sweet, syrupy honey is a match made in heaven. Then drizzle it on the roasty squash and top with sage. This is a balanced recipe with so many flavors going on you’ll think your taste buds are working overtime!

Try out this app and then laminate the recipe card, cuz you’ll want to keep that bad boy around for a while!

Oh and I am pretty sure it tastes better if you make it with your awesome mother-in-law. Right Roberta?? :)

Recipe: Butternut Squash Tart with Fried Sage

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Gently roll out 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry, thawed (from a 17.3-ounce package) on a lightly floured surface to a 10-inch square (just enough to even out). Transfer to prepared sheet.
  2. Brush pastry with 1 large egg beaten with 1 tsp. water. Arrange twelve 1/8-inch-thick rounds peeled butternut squash (cut from squash’s neck) over pastry, overlapping as needed and leaving a 1/2-inch border. Place another sheet of parchment paper over squash. Set another large rimmed baking sheet over the tart. (This will weigh down the pastry dough and steam the squash slices.)
  3. Bake until bottom of pastry begins to brown and top begins to puff, about 10 minutes.
  4. Remove top baking sheet and discard top sheet of parchment paper. Brush squash slices with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with kosher salt. Return tart, uncovered, to oven and bake until pastry is deep golden brown and cooked through, 25–30 minutes longer.
  5. Meanwhile, combine 1/4 cup honey, 1 thinly sliced Fresno, jalapeño, or red Thai chile, and 2 tablespoons water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat (add another thinly sliced chile if more heat is desired). Boil until thickened slightly and syrupy, about 6 minutes.
  6. Line a plate with paper towels. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet until just beginning to smoke. Add 12 fresh sage leaves; fry until crisp, about 30 seconds. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
  7. Slice tart. Arrange 1/4 cup shaved Parmesan on top; drizzle with chile-infused honey. Garnish with fried sage leaves and a few grinds of black pepper.

See the original recipe from Bon Appetite here