I am on a full-out squash kick lately.
This one brings together the sweetness of delicata squash and the festive flavor of fresh sage in a tender buttery biscuit. The squash gives a lovely golden hue to these biscuits which are flecked with tiny pieces of chopped sage.
This recipe is inspired by the sweet potato biscuits in The Kinfolk Table, which is a delightful visual feast, packed with enticing recipes. Since I had plenty of delicatas on hand, I thought I would use them instead of the sweet potato and add a little fresh sage to make a Thanksgiving-themed biscuit that is a great accompaniment to a seasonal soup or festive dinner.
This recipe was originally posted on PBS Food.
Ingredients
- 1 medium-small delicata squash (1/2 cup squash purée)
- 2 cups unbleached white flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
- 1 small bunch of fresh sage (1 1/2 teaspoons chopped and 10 whole leaves for garnish)
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 small egg
- 1 tablespoon milk
Instructions
- Slice the delicata squash in half, lengthwise. Remove all the seeds and stringy pulp around the seeds. Place the squash halves cut-side facing down on a baking sheet. Roast in a 400 degree F oven for about 30 minutes or until a knife pierces the flesh like soft butter. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit. Scoop out the roasted flesh and discard the skins. Mash by hand with a potato masher, or if you wish, purée with a hand blender until smooth. Measure out 1/2 cup of squash purée. Chill the purée in the fridge.
- In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Using a box grater, grate the cold butter into the flour mixture. Place this mixture in the freezer while you prepare the wet ingredients (about 5 to 10 minutes).
- In another bowl, mix the chilled cream, squash purée, and finely chopped sage. Whisk together until smooth. In another smaller bowl, make the egg wash by beating the egg and 1 tablespoon of milk together.
- Remove the dry ingredients from the freezer. With a pastry cutter or your hands, make sure the grated butter is fully incorporated into the flour (it should look like bread crumbs). Gently add the squash and cream mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring just until the dough starts to come together. Using your hands, lightly knead the dough in the bowl, until uniform, but avoiding overhandling it.
- Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and either roll or simply press the dough out to 3/4 inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2 inch round or square cookie cutter, cut out the biscuits. Brush the tops with egg wash and gently press a whole sage leaf on top of each biscuit. Place on a lightly buttered baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in a 400 degree F oven, until golden on top. Transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack and serve warm.
This recipe was originally posted on PBS Food.
