Desmond has the whole week off school, and the boys have done nothing but play together all day. Not wanting to jinx the fraternal harmony, I ditched all our plans and Desmond is still in his pajamas. Here are some snippets of their day -
Emo Robot Felix: E.M.O.
Officious Felix: Pirate Desmond, we need to take Mommy to school. That's why can you come?
And in response to sampling my little square of tart that I had not at all intended to share -
Regular Felix: My want my own. That's really yum.
Very busy Desmond: I like it. I'll have the rest of it after I....
And the rest of his sentence is swallowed in a cavalcade of legos and general six-year-old busyness as he runs off to complete his next big plan.
I thought this would be perfect for you to take to Thanksgiving. You could cut it into little squares for appetizers. It would be lovely with a classic champagne cocktail or this apple bourbon number. And if you're the sole vegan at the affair, then set aside a big slice for your main dish.
Oh, and incidentally, Felix is totally right. It's really yum. The tart pesto contrasts beautifully with the subtle smoky sweetness of the squash. And of course everything is more festive wrapped up in crisp layers of puff pastry.
Delicata Squash Tart with Kale Pecan Pesto
As you probably know, Pepperidge Farms makes totally junky, accidentally vegan puff pastry sheets.
makes: 1 12-inch tart
takes: 70 minutes (about 20 active)
- 1 sheet of puff pastry
- kale pesto (recipe below)
- 1 medium delicata squash (about 3/4 pound)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Kale Pesto:
- 2 packed cups chopped kale
- 1 fat garlic clove
- 1/4 cup toasted pecans
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon brown miso
- pinch of salt
Get your puff pastry out of the freezer and set it on a parchment-lined baking sheet. While that's defrosting, make your pesto. Throw the kale and the rest of the pesto fixins into the food processor and press go. Cut the stem off the squash, slice it in half, scrape out the seeds, and then slice it into thin half moons (about 1/8 inch thick). In a large bowl, toss the squash with the olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. It's probably time to preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
When the pastry is cool and pliant, lightly flour your hands and gently unfold the dough. Now you get to color inside the lines - Leaving about a half inch frame around the outer edge of the dough, prick with a fork the part of the dough that you will cover with pesto and squash. The unpricked, uncovered, outer edge will puff up, creating a beautifully effortless crust, while the part that you poke will stay flat. Now, spread that pesto over the holes. Arrange the squash slices over the pesto, overlapping them a bit so you can get it all on there. Sprinkle with fresh thyme and bake for 30 minutes or until beautifully brown. Let cool for a couple minutes before cutting and serving. Or it will still be totally delicious at room temp.
Happy Thanksgiving!
