Butternut Squash, Pecan and Bacon Bread

I'm sure you've heard of pumpkin bread, but butternut squash bread? That was a new one for me. After making a loaf, it's a shame we've been strangers until now.

The spark for this dish was lit during a recent Washington Post Food section chat, where I asked if there were any particular trends among this year's Thanksgiving recipes. Another chatter piped up that the big trend in recipes this year was butternut squash. I surveyed the dishes I had planned for the month thus far and...there wasn't a butternut in sight! So I wanted to add something, but I wanted it to be different. I've roasted butternut squash and tossed it with grains. I've pureed it into an appetizer crostini topping. I've even turned it into a cocktail (for more ideas, check out this recent 8-2-Eat on butternut squash recipes). I didn't want to repeat any of those things.

Instead, at that Washington Post chatter's suggestion, I made bread. A search online uncovered an AllRecipes.com recipe that was exactly what I was looking for. This recipe enhances the bread with walnuts and raisins. I went a different route: pecans and...bacon. Yes, bacon in bread! Why not? It's in everything else these days. I also cut the recipe in half to have just one loaf; you could certainly double it back if you want to make two. You'll just need two loaf pans.

A word on prepping butternut squash. You can buy butternut squash already peeled, seeded and cut into large chunks at the grocery store. This makes turning it into smaller cubes for roasting quite simple. However, you can also start with a whole squash, which isn't as hard to deal with as you might think if you follow these directions that explain the steps in the picture above. Either way, the end result should be cubes about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide (the smaller the size, the quicker it will roast).

Since this is a "quick" bread--i.e. one that is leavened with baking powder and baking soda and thus rises while it cooks rather than the longer process of a yeast bread that requires kneading and rising time--it doesn't take very long to make, especially if you've roasted and pureed the butternut squash in advance. If you roast cubes from a whole squash, you'll have plenty leftover that you could freeze and later use for any of the roasted squash recipes I've mentioned here (see related links below too).

Butternut Squash, Pecan and Bacon Bread
Adapted in part from Boltonlane's recipe for Autumn Spiced Butternut Squash Bread on AllRecipes.com

Note: This recipe makes leftover roasted butternut squash, as it seems a waste to roast only enough needed for this recipe. I froze the leftover roasted squash to save for another purpose, like tossing into a grain bowl.

Equipment: 9 X 5 loaf pan, stand or hand mixer, bowls, baking sheet

16-20 oz. peeled and seeded butternut squash, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (to make 1 cup roasted butternut squash puree)
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
4 oz. bacon (to yield about 1/3 cup bacon bits)
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing the baking pan
2 large eggs
1/3 cup water
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/3 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 425 F with rack in middle position.

2. Add butternut squash cubes to a large bowl. Drizzle with vegetable oil and toss to coat the squash evenly with oil. Spread squash in an even layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 20-25 until tender. Set aside to cool. Add a heaping cup of the roasted cubes to a food processor and turn it on. Add a little water (start with a tablespoon; you can add a little more if necessary) if the squash is too thick to puree smoothly. The end result should be 1 cup of pureed squash. Add a few more cubes of squash and puree again if you fall a little short of 1 cup.

3. Adjust oven temperature to 350 F.

4. Cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium heat until browned and crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to cool, then transfer to a cutting board and chop into bits.

5. Combine sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer) and blend on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the butternut squash puree, eggs and water and blend into the mixture on low speed.

6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cloves. Add to the butter-sugar-squash mixture and blend on low speed until just combined. Stir in the chopped pecans and bacon bits.

7. Grease a 9 X 5 inch loaf pan with butter. Pour the batter into the pan so that it is even distributed in the pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour. Set pan on a rack to cool for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the loaf from the pan and set the loaf on the rack to cool completely. Slice in 1/2-inch slices to serve.

Related

Wheat Berry Salad with Butternut Squash, Hazelnuts and Sage

Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Crostini with Crispy Shallots

Cocktail: Hot Butternut Rum

8-2-Eat: Fall into Butternut Squash

Thanksgiving Central

Old-Fashioned Texas Pecan Pie

Pecan pie is a Thanksgiving staple, and the basic formula is pretty much the same in most recipes: combine eggs, corn syrup, sugar, butter, vanilla extract and pecans. Place in pie crust and bake. So synonymous with pecan pie is Karo's corn syrup that a recipe for the pie appears on the bottle.

But while making pecan pie with corn syrup may be traditional, it isn't the original method. In Dan Jurafsky's The Language of Food (yes, back to that again, it's a great source for inspiration), he writes about regional differences in the pronunciation of "pecan" (basically whether you say it "pih-CON" like I do or "PEE-can" like many southerners do), and notes that the earliest recipes for pecan pie originated in Texas dating back to the late 19th century. They did not contain corn syrup, and were more like custard pies.

Jurafsky cites the recipe as appearing in the Ladies Home Journal. I tracked down the following slightly older recipe (apparently by the same author) that appeared in the Dallas Morning News, January 23, 1898 (courtesy of The Big Apple):

"Tiaga, Grayson Co., Tex., Jan. 21.—(To The News.)—Knowing that The News is strictly for Texas and for Texas enterprises, and thinking that it might be of interest to many Texas kitchen queens, I herewith inclose you a copy of the recipe for making what I have decided to call in honor of the great Lone Star state, “The Texas Pecan Pie.” 

Having never seen it in any paper or cook book I have read, and failing to find any one who had ever eaten it, I feel justified in claiming to be its originator and the right to christen it. 

It is a most delicious pie—an instant favorite with all who have eaten it at my table. It is my desire that it may be added to the long list of delicacies Texas cooks are so greatly noted for preparing, and I want every lady to test its merits and I will be glad if they let me know of their success or failure in making it. 

The Texas pecan pie—One cup sugar, one cup sweet milk, one-half cup pecan kernels chopped fine, three eggs, one tablespoonful flour. When cooked spread the well-beaten whites of two eggs on the top, brown and sprinkle a few of the chopped kernels over it. Above is for one pie. 
MRS. MATT BRADLEY." 

Like a lot of old recipes, it's not particularly easy to follow, especially for the un-initiated. There's no hint as to how long to bake it or at what temperature (I guess back then, home cooked were considered more skilled and should know such things). Thankfully, the A Book of Cookrye blog has translated this recipe for the modern age. She had omitted the meringue topping, which I have decided to add back. I've also included a pie crust recipe, courtesy of America's Test Kitchen.

If you make this for Thanksgiving, I suggest making it the day of, since the meringue isn't quite as perky on day two (although it still tastes really good).

Old-Fashioned Texas Pecan Pie
Inspired by Mrs. Matt Bradley's 1898 recipe for Texas Pecan Pie as adapted by A Book of Cookrye, with pie crust and meringue adapted from America's Test Kitchen recipes

Pie crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling out the dough
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
7 tbsp. unsalted butter, cold
4-5 tbsp. ice water

Pie filling:

1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Meringue:

1 tbsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup water
4 large egg whites
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

Pie crust:

1. Add flour, sugar and salt to a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to combine. Cut the butter into 1/2-inch cubes and scatter across the flour. Pulse for 10 to 15 seconds until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

2. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and sprinkle with 3 tbsp. of ice water. With a folding motion, use a rubber spatula to mix the ice water with the flour mixture, pressing with the spatula until the dough sticks together. If the dough does not come together, add additional ice water in 1-tsp. increments until it does. Shape the dough into a flattened disc and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour (up to 2 days).

3. Place the chilled dough on a floured rolling surface and roll the dough out to a 13-inch diameter. Carefully transfer the rolled dough to a pie plate, pressing the dough into the corners. Trim away the edges of the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, then fold that overhang under so the folded edge is flush with the top rim of the pan. If desired, flute the edge of the dough, then chill the dough again until firm, about 1 hour.

4. Preheat oven to 400 F with oven rack in the center. Remove chilled dough from the refrigerator. Prick the bottom of the dough a few times with a fork (this is to allow air to escape to prevent the dough from puffing up). Bake the crust for 20-25 minutes until it is lightly browned. Look at it every 5 minutes and gently press down the bottom with an oven mitt if it puffs up. Remove from oven and set aside.

Pie filling:

5. Preheat oven to 350 F.

6. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and flour, then whisk in the milk and eggs until well mixed. Stir in the pecans. Transfer to a saucepan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is thick enough to coat a spoon and reaches a temperature of 160 F to 170 F.

Meringue:

7. Combine cornstarch and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally. When the mixture starts to simmer and turns translucent, remove from the heat. Let cool.

8. Using a stand mixer with the whip attachment or a hand mixer, beat the egg whites and vanilla until frothy. Combine the sugar and cream of tartar and beat into the egg white 1 tbsp. at a time until all the sugar is incorporated and the mixture forms soft peaks. Add the cornstarch mixture and continue beating until the mixture forms stiff peaks.

Assemble:

9. Pour the pecan mixture into the pie shell. Using a spatula, spread the meringue over the mixture, being sure to seal the edges of the meringue against the top of the pie crust. Using a spoon to create little peaks all over the meringue. Bake the pie until the meringue is golden brown and jiggles only lightly, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool. Serve immediately (meringue pies are best the day they are baked).

Other Recipes

Thanksgiving Central (all Thanksgiving recipes)

Bourbon-Caramel Pumpkin Tart

Apple Custard Pie with Gingersnap Crust

Apple Pie with Vodka Crust

Southwestern Fall Grain Bowl with Turkey, Squash, Pecans and Sage

Last week, while my blog was "dark," Chris and I were on vacation traveling around national parks in the Southwest. Next week, I'll be sharing with you what we ate, a wonderful (well, mostly) mix of Southwestern delights like Mexican and barbecue, and a pretty amazing sage margarita in what might be my new favorite cocktail bar in Santa Fe.

When you have a great time on a vacation, it can be hard to let go. So consider this Southwestern-themed fall grain bowl my attempt to hold on to some of those very tasty memories.

Hominy

Hominy is a new ingredient for me. I had it several times earlier this year at the Mitsitam Cafe at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian and a couple of times during our recent trip as the key ingredient in posole, a spicy pork and hominy stew. Hominy is corn soaked in an alkali solution that loosens the hull and causes the remaining kernel to swell. Dried hominy is used to make grits and corn tortillas. You can buy and cook dried hominy, which some say has better flavor and texture, but I used Goya canned hominy here, which worked fine. Giving it a few minutes in the pan with the onions helped it dry out a bit, and its texture, while probably softer than if I'd started with dry kernels, still had a nice chew.

Roasted butternut squash

All over the Southwest, especially in Santa Fe, we saw large arrangements of dried hanging chili peppers, known as ristras, and a lot of our food was pretty spicy, so I gave this a generous dose of New Mexico chili powder, which is actually pretty mild as chili powders go, so don't use it too sparingly. I knew I had to have some sage in this dish, since it was a key component in the aforementioned margarita and also just a great herb in fall dishes. And pecans are a natural for Southwestern foods too, as they are native to Mexico and are grown in several Southwestern states.

The resulting dish has a nice mix of sweet and spicy with a little bit of smoky too. It would make a great Thanksgiving stuffing actually. Vegetarians and vegans could easily omit the turkey and still have a wonderful dish.

Southwestern Fall Grain Bowl with Turkey, Squash, Pecans and Sage

Roasted squash:
1 lb. butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tbsp. olive oil
Kosher salt, to taste

Cooked grains:
2 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup wild rice
1 cup farro, rinsed
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

Glazed nuts:
1/3 pecans, coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp. New Mexico chili powder
Pinch of salt
2 tsp. agave nectar

Other ingredients:
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
16 oz. can hominy, drained and rinsed
Salt, to taste
1 tbsp. (or to taste) New Mexico chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tbsp. chopped fresh sage
1/3 cup dried cranberries
8 oz. smoked turkey, chopped


1. Preheat oven to 475 F. Combine squash, 2 tbsp. olive oil and salt in a large bowl and stir to combine. Spread squash on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast for 15 minutes. Stir and roast another 15-20 minutes until the squash is softened and lightly browned. Set aside (refrigerate if not using immediately).

2. Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a large (4 qt.) saucepan. Add the wild rice and boil for about 4 minutes, then add the farro (cooking the wild rice by itself first adjusts for its slightly longer cooking time), cover the pot, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 to 18 minutes until the grains are cooked through but still a bit chewy. Drain of any remaining liquid and set aside.

3. Heat pecans in a small (8-inch) frying pan over medium-low heat. Once the nuts are fragrant, after about 5-6 minutes, sprinkle with chili powder and salt, then drizzle with the agave nectar. Stir to coat the nuts evenly and continue cooking until the agave has evaporated into a thick coating. Remove from heat.

4. Heat 2 tbsp. olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the hominy, then season with salt, chili powder and cumin, stirring to combine. Cook a couple minutes until the hominy has dried out a bit, then add the sage, dried cranberries and turkey. Add the roasted squash, cooked grains and glazed nuts, stirring until evening combined and heated through. Serve mixture in shallow bowls.

Fall Grain Pilaf with Sweet Potatoes

It's not November yet, but I've got Thanksgiving on my mind already. Perhaps it's because I've been testing dishes to write about next month. I promise not to start deluging you with Thanksgiving-themed content this month. Yes, this pilaf, with its basis in stuffing tip-toes up to the line. But it doesn't cross it! I wouldn't serve this at Thanksgiving. All the more reason to enjoy it ahead of time.

The idea behind this pilaf is the flavors of a good stuffing but with grains instead of bread. Any mix of quicker-cooking grains (i.e. not wheat berries) could be good. I used a mix of brown rice, wild rice and quinoa.

The sweet potatoes could be pre-cooked either in the microwave or roasted in the oven.

Fall Grain Pilaf with Sweet Potatoes

1 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup rice or a blend of grains, such as brown and wild rices and quinoa
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 sweet onion, diced
2 celery ribs, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. chopped fresh sage
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 cup cooked sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1. Bring chicken broth to boil in a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add grains, cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 25 minutes (cooking time may need adjustment, depending on the grain used). Remove from heat, place a clean kitchen cloth over the mouth of the pan and cover again. Let sit for 10 minutes, then remove the lid and towel and fluff grains with a fork.

2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, season with salt and pepper, and saute until softened, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add sage, stir to combine and cook another minute until fragrant. Reduce heat to low. Add pecans, cranberries and cooked sweet potato, cooking over low heat until heated through. Combine with cooked grains and serve immediately.

Endive with Honey, Goat Cheese and Pecans

It’s easy to crowd a holiday appetizer table with too many heavy dishes. Something like this can sneak a fresh vegetable into the mix in a way that makes a dramatic presentation. It’s really simple too.

Endive lends itself to appetizer creativity. The leaves when carefully peeled off resemble spoons. So the question then is what to put in that spoon. Lots of possibilities.

Here I’ve done something pretty simple: spread a smear of soft goat cheese on the leaf and top it with a drizzle of honey, a pan-roasted pecan and some fresh ground black pepper.

Endive with Goat Cheese, Honey and Pecans

10-12 pecan halves
1 endive head, leaves carefully separated (about 10 leaves)
4 oz. soft goat cheese (chèvre)
Honey
Fresh-ground black pepper

1. In a small frying pan over medium-low heat, toast pecans until fragrant, about 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2. Arrange endive leaves on a platter. Spread a couple teaspoons of goat cheese near the cut end of each leaf. Place a pecan half in the middle of the cheese, drizzle with honey and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.

Astoria Salad

Waldorf salad dates back to the late 19th century and was named for New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel where it was created. For this version, I wanted to update the dish to be both lighter and more satisfying as an entrée.

I made a couple of key substitutions. First, I swapped out the walnuts for pecans, toasted to bring out their flavor. And I replaced the mayonnaise with walnut oil, which when mixed with balsamic vinegar and mustard sort of tastes like mayo oddly. With sauteed chicken, this makes a satisfying salad dinner.

Astoria Salad
By A. Huddleston
(serves two as a main course)

2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp. flour
seasoned salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
3/4 lb. chicken cutlets
1/3 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
2-3 stalks of celery with leaves attached
1 honeycrisp apple, cored and cut to 1/2-inch cubes
2-3 cups torn salad greens (I've used green leaf, arugula or both, whatever your preference)
1/4 cup golden raisins
2 tbsp. walnut oil
1/2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. Dijon mustard
ground sea salt and black pepper to taste

1. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a 10-inch stainless steel frying pan. Combine flour, seasoned salt and pepper on a small plate. Pat chicken dry with paper towels and dredge in flour mixture. Add to pan when the oil is hot (chicken should sizzle). Saute chicken until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces.

2. Heat a small (8-inch) frying pan over medium-low heat. Add pecans to pan and heat, tossing occasionally until lightly browned and fragrant (be careful not to burn). Set aside to cool.

3. Whisk together walnut oil, balsamic vinegar, mustard and salt and pepper (to taste) until well combined as a vinaigrette (I use a 1-cup Pyrex glass measuring cup and about 70 strokes with a fork).

4. Cut leaves off celery stalks, chop leaves and set aside as a garnish. Remove any bad parts of the celery, and chop stalks to 1/4-inch pieces. In a large salad bowl, combine chopped celery stalks, cubed apple, salad greens, raisins, chicken and pecans. Toss with vinaigrette. Serve on plates topped with chopped celery leaves.