Squash harvest salad

Pumpkin is obviously the most popular squash, and this time of year we see pumpkin spice everything. But there are dozens of other squash varieties!

The skin on delicata squash is very delicate (hence the name), meaning it’s thin and edible so you don’t have to peel it! Just cut in half to scoop out the seeds and slice into half moons. The ridges on the squash contribute to its attractiveness, and it looks really beautiful by itself or in a salad.

My preferred method of cooking squash is roasting at a high temperature. And don’t flip it! That’s how you get beautiful caramelization and browning. Also, don’t overcrowd your roasting pan or the squash will produce too much steam and never get crisp. In the salad recipe I’m sharing today, I paired the squash with brussels sprouts, which also come into season in the fall.

Squash harvest salad

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 delicata squash, seeds removed and sliced into 1/2-inch thick moons
• 12 ounces brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
• 6 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 Tablespoon stone ground mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 5 cups kale
• 1 small shallot, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup feta, crumbled
• 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
• 2 Tablespoons roasted pepitas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Divide delicata squash between 2 baking sheets and evenly spread brussels sprouts on third baking sheet.
3. Drizzle vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
4. Roast vegetables for 20 minutes. Do not flip vegetables to allow for caramelization.
5. Remove from oven.
6. Combine olive oil, apple cider vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, salt, and pepper in mason jar and shake until combined.
7. Add kale to large bowl. Drizzle a little dressing on kale and massage leaves for about 1 minute.
8. Add squash, brussels sprouts, shallot, feta, pomegranate arils, and pepitas.
9. Drizzle dressing on top and mix.

Amaretto Apple Crisp Ice Cream Bars

This is a sponsored post by Hudsonville Ice Cream, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

I grew up down the street from an apple orchard, and during the fall season, my mom and I frequently visited the orchard after school to grab a few apples for dessert. Apple crisp was one of the first dishes I learned how to make. It’s an unfussy dessert that uses very basic ingredients. I used the same recipe for years, except I always doubled the crisp part of the recipe because the buttery, brown sugar oat pieces are my favorite. 

Last year I experimented with a new flavor pairing: apple and amaretto. I added a little amaretto to the crisp topping and to the apple mixture. Wow! The almond liqueur is the difference between tasty apple crisp and incredible apple crisp. It really makes the flavors pop!

Of course, the dessert isn’t complete without a big scoop of ice cream. Hudsonville recently released Limited Edition Baked Apple Crisp ice cream, and it truly tastes exactly like the dessert. The ice cream is packed with apple pieces and crispy oat crumbles. It made me think—why do I even bother peeling and dicing apples for apple crisp when I could just serve this Hudsonville Ice Cream?

That’s when I decided to make bars using Baked Apple Crisp ice cream and my favorite amaretto crisp topping as the base. I baked the buttery oat crumbles in a baking pan, and then I pressed half of it into a baking dish. I made an easy stovetop amaretto caramel sauce to help the pieces adhere together, and I poured it over the oat crumbles before adding 4 cups of ice cream on top. I finished off the bars with more caramel sauce and the other half of the crisp topping.

I guarantee everyone will love the apple-amaretto flavor combo, and you’ll want this tasty treat stocked in your freezer all season long! Use the Scoop Locator tool to find Limited Edition Baked Apple Crisp ice cream at a store near you.

Amaretto Apple Crisp Ice Cream Bars

Yield: 16 servings

Ingredients

For the amaretto caramel sauce

• 1/2 cup butter (110 grams)
• 1 cup brown sugar (200 grams)
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup amaretto (60 milliliters)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt (1 gram)

For the crisp topping

• 1 1/3 cup brown sugar (266 grams)
• 1 1/2 cup all purpose flour (180 grams)
• 2/3 cup old fashioned oats (54 grams)
• 1/2 cup butter, melted (110 grams)
• 3 Tablespoons amaretto (45 milliliters)
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon (6 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (2 grams)

For assembly

• 4 cups Hudsonville Limited Edition Baked Apple Crisp ice cream

Directions

For the amaretto caramel sauce

1. Combine butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring until smooth.
2. Add heavy whipping cream, amaretto, and salt to saucepan, and stir. Bring to a simmer.
3. Simmer for 5 minutes. Make sure to stir regularly.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool while you make crisp topping.

For the crisp topping

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheet with nonstick aluminum foil and set aside.
2. Mix together brown sugar, flour, oats, butter, amaretto, cinnamon, and salt.
3. Spread mixture in even layer on baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, making sure to stir the mixture at the halfway mark.
4. Remove from oven.

For assembly

1. Line 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan with parchment paper, leaving 2-inch overhang on two sides. 
2. Transfer half of crisp mixture to prepared pan and press down into even layer on bottom.
3. Drizzle about 1/3 of amaretto caramel sauce over bottom layer.
4. Spread ice cream evenly over sauce.
5. Drizzle another 1/3 of amaretto caramel sauce over ice cream and top with rest of crisp mixture.
6. Freeze until ice cream hardens, at least 1 hour.
7. When ready to serve, use parchment overhang to transfer bar to cutting board. Cut into 16 squares.
8. Serve with remaining amaretto caramel sauce and whipped cream, if desired.

Butternut squash and goat cheese tart

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Butternut squash is a squash variety that has definitely increased in popularity, but I still don’t think people know entirely what to do with it. I like to roast the butternut squash so it’s a little crispy and caramelized. The resulting flavor is slightly sweet with a nutty flavor. It’s important to not overcrowd your roasting pan or the squash will produce too much steam and never get crisp.

I thought the squash would look beautiful in a puff pastry tart! First, I scored a 1/2-inch border around the puff pastry and docked the center with a fork so it doesn’t puff up too much.

Then I mixed equal amounts honey and butter, and I spread it all over the center. My favorite product to use when making honey butter is Challenge Spreadable Butter with Olive Oil and Sea Salt. First, it mixes so well and beautifully with honey. You don’t have to worry about bringing it to room temperature first. And it’s made with real Challenge Butter, which is churned from the freshest, purest cream. 

I then scattered the squash across the tart and paired it with tangy goat cheese and tart pomegranate arils. The flavors all complement each other so well, and the colors look so beautiful together!

Butternut squash and goat cheese tart

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 12 ounces butternut squash, diced
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 2 Tablespoons Challenge Spreadable Butter with Olive Oil and Sea Salt
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 sheet puff pastry (thawed)
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 3 Tablespoons walnuts (or pecans)
• 1 Tablespoon sage, chopped
• Egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 Tablespoon water)
• Optional: Pomegranate arils, pomegranate molasses, honey, dried cranberries

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Add butternut squash to baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle salt and pepper on top.
3. Roast for 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
4. While butternut squash is roasting, mix butter and honey.
5. Roll out puff pastry on baking sheet. Score a 1/2-inch border around the edges (don’t cut all the way through) and prick the center all over with a fork.
6. Spread honey butter in center and top with goat cheese.
7. Scatter butternut squash, nuts, and sage over goat cheese.
8. Brush egg wash on puff pastry border.
9. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes.
10. Top with pomegranate arils and pomegranate molasses or dried cranberries and more honey if desired.

Chai-poached pear tarte tatin

 

This is a sponsored post by Challenge butter, but the text and opinions are all mine. Thank you for supporting brands that make Kylee's Kitchen possible!

Obviously, apples dominate the fall baking scene, but pears are also in season. And one of the easiest and tastiest things you can do with pears is poach them.

Traditionally, you want to use Bosc pears because they are firm enough to maintain their shape.

You can use any type of liquid-sugar mixture when poaching pears, but I wanted to amplify the warm fall spices that we all love during the fall season. So I brewed a strong pot of chai tea, and poached the pears in that.

You can either poach the pears whole or halved. I chose to poach them whole because I think it makes for a prettier presentation. If you also choose to poach the pears whole, you need to core them from the bottom before peeling them. Just take a melon baller and scoop out the core several times or until you don’t see any seeds.

If you choose to poach the pears as halves, you should peel first and then scoop out the core.

After sticking the pears in the simmering water, you’ll want to ensure the pears stay submerged in the liquid. The best way to do this is with a cartouche. A cartouche is simply a parchment paper lid made by cutting a piece of parchment paper the same size as the circumference of your pot. Not only does it keep the fruit submerged in the liquid, it also promotes even heating.

You want to simmer your pears until they’re fork tender. This took me about 20 minutes. Then remove them from the pot and place them in the refrigerator so they don’t continue to cook. Then you want to reduce the simmering liquid until it’s the consistency of syrup. Do this by bringing the liquid to a boil and letting it continue to boil until it’s about 1/3 the original amount. It should be the consistency of syrup.

Remove the pot from the heat and whisk in the butter. The butter will help to thicken the syrup. I use Challenge Salted Butter because it’s made from the freshest, purest cream, and they only use 100% natural products.

At this point, you can serve the pears as is with the syrup drizzled over the top, and that would make for a really elegant, delicious dessert. Or you can turn the pears into a tarte tatin. The classic French dessert is traditionally made with caramelized apples, however, it is absolutely divine with these poached pears.

You’ll want to slice up 5 to 7 pears (depending on size) into quarters, but make sure to keep one pear half as is to use as the center. Then take a 9-inch pie dish (make sure to grease well) and pour 1/2 cup of the syrup in it. Then place the pear half in the center (cut side up) and fan out the pear quarters around the center. All that’s left is to cover the pears with a sheet of puff pastry and bake!

Part of the magic of tarte tatin is that it’s flipped upside down, so the saucy pears on the bottom are flipped to the top. A lot of people say you need to do this while it’s still warm so the pastry doesn’t stick to the pie dish, but I’ve never had issues with it sticking so I wait until it has cooled. You can invert the tarte tatin into another pie dish, or if you plan on serving it right away, you can invert it onto a cake stand.

I think it tastes delicious both warm and cold!

Chai-poached pear tarte tatin

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 6 chai tea bags
• 4 cloves
• 3 cardamom pods (don’t use ground cardamom, omit if you don’t have)
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
• 5 bosc pears (you may need 6 if small)
• 1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons or half a stick) Challenge salted butter
• 1 sheet puff pastry (thawed)

Directions

1. Bring water, tea bags, cloves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks to boil in large pot. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and steep 30 minutes.
2. Remove tea bags, cloves, cardamom pods, and cinnamon sticks and add sugar and vanilla paste to pot and bring mixture to simmer. 
3. While waiting for it to simmer, core pears with melon baller from bottom of fruit and peel the pears. Place in pot once it comes to simmer and cover with circle of parchment paper (this is called a cartouche). Allow pears to simmer for 20 minutes. 
4. Remove pears from pot. Bring liquid in pot to boil and continue boiling until it reduces by half and is the consistency of maple syrup (this could take upwards of 30 minutes). 
5. Whisk in butter and salt.
6. Cut pears into quarters, but make sure to keep one half in tact for the center.
7. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Butter pie plate. Pour 1/2 cup of the reduced chair syrup into pan.
9. Place pear half in center, cut side up, and arrange remaining pear quarters around the outside edge with the skinny part pointing toward center.
10. Drape puff pastry over pie pan and tuck the edges under the pears.
11. Baked for about 25 to 30 minutes or until puff pastry is golden brown.
12. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 30 minutes.
13. Invert tart onto serving dish or into another pie pan.