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Have you seen the new Michel Nischan cookbook? Keep an eye out for it. Today's butternut squash recipe comes from it. The book is called Homegrown Pure and Simple and it is a beauty - hardback, big color photography, clean design, nice detailing. One of my favorite features is actually the font they use for the recipe titles - it looks like someone has carefully drawn in the names of each recipe with the kind of penmanship you might see on the label of a jar of summer preserves.

That being said, I see a lot of pretty cookbooks, and at the end of the day only a small fraction really resonate with me - Homegrown was one of them. Here's why. While this cookbook is rooted in recipes assembled with ingredients from Michel's organic, backyard, family garden, that in itself isn't all that different from other books that encourage you to cook through the seasons, or cook fresh from the farmer's market. Michel takes it a step beyond by doing two other vital things that help differentiate his recipes from the pack. First, his basic palette of pantry ingredients leans towards being minimally refined and whole - he makes an effort to explore different types of flours (whole wheat, spelt, almond, etc) and sweeteners (opting for honey and raw cane sugar). Secondly, he uses a wide range of techniques to concentrate flavors, naturally sweeten, this adds dimension to his recipes and the extra touch that has the ability to make his garden's bounty sing.

Roasted Butternut Squash

If you are looking for a leisurely weekend recipe to lose yourself in, you will find plenty. Need a recipe that is more fast-track? There are some of those too. For today's write up I baked the Butternut Squash Muffins, but I have my eye on the Sweet Pea Soup with Caramelized Paneer, and the Sweet Potato Breakfast Bread as well.

I picked up a nice big butternut squash at Eatwell Farm on Saturday. I used the neck of the squash, about 1 lb. for the muffins, and cut the big, bulbous base of the squash in half and roasted it for ravioli or cannelloni filling. Winter squash is starting to show up everywhere this time of year, so if you have leftover squash, keep this recipe in mind.

There are a couple time intensive components to this particular recipe. You cook a quart of apple juice down to a beautifully fragrant, sweet thick reduction. It takes about an hour, and if you've never reduced that much liquid before you might start to lose faith half way through. Hang in there because the juice doesn't really start to thicken up until the very end, but it will thicken eventually.

I was excited about the base flour in this recipe as well. Spelt flour is celebrated for a few different reasons. It has a wonderful dense but crumbly texture and nice, some say nutty-ish flavor. It is also more easily digested that wheat flour, and has a fantastic nutritional profile.

I cheated and used organic store-bought applesauce, and room temperature clarified butter instead of the grapeseed/rice oil (note: I can only find processed brands/non-organic brands) called for.

The muffins were delicious. The book beautiful and inspiring. Can't wait to dive in deeper.

Butternut Squash Muffins Recipe

Flavorless vegetable oil spray (or grapeseed or rice oil in a mister or spray bottle), optional

1 pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into small cubes (about 3 cups)

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
8 black peppercorns
2 cinnamon sticks
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
4 cups freshly pressed apple juice (or apple cider)
1 cup raw cane sugar
2 large egg yolks
1/2 cup homemade applesauce
1/4 cup grapeseed or rice oil (heidi note: I used room temp. clarified butter)
4 large egg whites
2 cups spelt flour
2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Spray a 12-cup muffin tin with the oil, or put paper liners in the cups. Spray a rimmed baking sheet as well, or line with parchment paper.

2. Toss the squash with the coarse sea salt and spread in a single layer ion the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the squash is cooked through and tender,

3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the peppercorns, cinnamon sticks, and coriander over medium-high heat and heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the coriander begins to smell like oranges. Remove from the heat. let sit for 30 seconds, and then add the apple juice. Return to the heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until reduced to 1/4 cup and thick. Pour the apple juice through a fine-mesh sieve, discard the whole spices and push the reduced juice through the sieve with the back of a spoon, if necessary. Set aside.

4. Transfer the squash and reduced juice to a food processor and process until smooth.

5. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the sugar and egg yolks on high speed for about 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the applesauce, oil, and butternut squash puree just until blended. transfer to a large bowl.

6. Fit the mixer with the whip attachment and clean and dry the bowl. Add the egg whites to the bowl and beat on medium-high speed until very foamy, but not quite soft peaks.

7. in another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and the fine sea salt. Add to the batter and stir just until mixed. then fold in the egg whites just until blended. There will be some white streaks in the batter, which is fine.

8. Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling each one about three-fourths full. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

9. Let the muffins cool in the tin on a wire rack for about 5 minutes. Turn the muffins out of the tin and let cool completely on the rack before serving.

Makes 12 muffins.

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