Acorn Squash with Coconut Custard

By ruthg

Food and Wine: Every year at Thanksgiving, Top Chef winner Kristen Kish’s mother would serve roasted acorn squash. When Kish took over cooking the holiday meal, she upgraded the classic side with a decadent coconut custard that offsets the earthy sweetness of the dish. The custard will set as it cools and slices beautifully at room temperature.

Ingredients

• 2 acorn squash, halved lengthwise, seeds removed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 fresh sage leaves, torn into small pieces
• 1 cup well-shaken and stirred canned coconut milk
• 1 /2 cup heavy cream
• 4 large egg yolks
• 1 /4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 /2 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 /4 teaspoon fleur de sel
• 3 tablespoons brown butter
• 1 /4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted

Details

Servings 7
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 135mins
Adapted from foodandwine.com

Preparation

Step 1

Step 1

Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut a small slice off skin side of each squash half so they will sit flat while baking. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet.

Step 2

Drizzle squash with oil, and season with kosher salt; sprinkle evenly with sage. Roast until squash is tender and begins to brown, about 40 minutes. Let squash cool completely, about 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

Step 3

Whisk together coconut milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar, pepper, orange zest, and fleur de sel in a large bowl until well combined. Pour coconut mixture evenly into well of each squash. Bake at 300°F until custard begins to set and jiggles slightly like gelatin, about 55 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours. (As squash cools, custard will set up further.) Cut squash halves in half; transfer to a platter. Drizzle brown butter over top, and sprinkle with toasted walnuts.