Roasted kabocha squash with brown butter
There’s nothing new about brown butter -- known in French as beurre noisette. The nutty flavor and butterscotch aroma of butter cooked until it becomes hazelnut brown is fabulous spooned over earthy kabocha squash.
Josiah Citrin, of Melisse in Santa Monica, suggests making a large batch of brown butter, then chilling it in a glass baking dish before cutting it into cubes and freezing it. It’s a convenient way to have brown butter on hand for finishing sauces or adding flavor in an instant.
If you have a light-colored pan, that’s the one to use, as it makes it easy to see the browning.
From the story: Butter warmed to the color of fall
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cut the squash into quarters and scoop out the seeds. Brush the cut surfaces of squash with oil. Put the squash cut-side down on a foil-lined baking pan. Roast until the squash is fork tender, about 60 minutes.
Toast the pecans on a large baking pan until lightly browned, about 6 to 8 minutes. Set aside.
In a small heavy skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook, whisking until the butter turns nut brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Mix the pecans with 1 teaspoon of the browned butter and the sea salt.
Heat the broiler. Turn the squash quarters upright with the skin side down. Drizzle each baked squash quarter with 1 teaspoon maple syrup. Put the squash under the broiler until the edges of the squash are slightly charred and the syrup has a nice glaze, 3 to 4 minutes.
Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the browned butter over each squash quarter, then sprinkle the nutmeg, toasted pecans and a little fleur de sel on the quarters and serve.
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