Caramelized Onion Butternut Roast With Chestnuts Recipes

CARAMELIZED ONION-BUTTERNUT ROAST WITH CHESTNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
• Place the onions and olive oil in a 9x13" baking dish, tossing to coat the onions with oil. Bake for about 30 minutes, stirring 3-4 times with a wooden spoon, until the onions are browned and sizzling. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• While the onions are roasting, prepare the whole, unpeeled chestnuts as follows: Slice a little slit in the shell of each chestnut to prevent them from exploding. Place the chestnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and place in a kitchen towel. Let cool a bit and crush them inside the towel to loosen their shells. Open the towel and remove the shells from the chestnuts.
• Coarsely chop the peeled chestnuts and add to the pan with roasted onions.
• Add the diced butternut squash, white beans, thyme, coriander, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and broth to the baking pan, stirring so that the chestnuts, squash and beans are well coated. Tightly cover the baking pan with aluminum foil and bake for 35-45 minutes, until the squash and chestnuts are tender.
• Toss together the bread crumbs, oil and sage in a bowl. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Remove the foil from the baking pan, top with the crumb mixture and bake for another 15 minutes, until the top is lightly browned.

CARAMELIZED CHESTNUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Bake chestnuts on a baking sheet in middle of oven until slightly dried and a shade darker, about 30 minutes. Cool chestnuts completely on a rack.
• Cook sugar in a dry 10- to 12-inch nonstick skillet over moderate heat, swirling and shaking skillet (to help sugar melt evenly), until caramel is deep golden. Remove from heat, then prop skillet up against a ramekin or metal cookie cutter, tilting it just enough for caramel to pool. Add 1 chestnut to caramel and evenly coat by turning with 2 forks, then transfer with forks to a sheet of foil to cool. Coat remaining chestnuts in same manner. (If caramel starts to harden, melt over moderately low heat, stirring.) Once completely cooled, peel chestnuts from foil.

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CARAMELIZED ONION TART

Steps:

• On a lightly floured surface roll out dough into a 12-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Fit dough into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable fluted rim. Freeze shell 15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights or raw rice. Bake shell in middle of oven until edge is pale golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights or rice and bake shell 10 minutes more, or until bottom is golden. Leave oven on. Cool shell in pan on a rack.
• Halve squash and scoop out seeds. Lightly brush each cut side with about 1 teaspoon oil and on a baking sheet roast squash, cut sides down, in middle of oven 40 minutes, or until soft.
• While squash is roasting, thinly slice onion and in a heavy skillet cook in 1/2 tablespoon butter and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 20 minutes.
• Cool squash and scoop out flesh. In a food processor purée squash. Add whole egg, egg yolk, and cream and blend well. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in cheeses, herbs, onion, salt, and pepper to taste. Pour filling into shell, smoothing top.
• In a small skillet melt remaining tablespoon butter and stir in bread crumbs until combined well. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture evenly over filling. Bake tart in middle of oven 40 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool tart in pan on rack 10 minutes and carefully remove rim.