Butternut Squash and Roquefort Soufflé Tart
The idea for this tart came to me while in isolation with my baby in the country. I kept buying vegetables to make baby food and I love Butternut Squash, so I wanted to use it, but they are just so large. Which presented the issue of what to do with the leftovers. So I started to think of recipes that could use puree. That way I could make the whole vegetable into puree and use some for baby food and some for the adults. In the ingredients I suggest a small butternut squash, but that is so that you dont get left with spare puree, if you want spare for another dish or baby food choose a larger one. It also works well with Pumpkin or Beetroot (although beetroot needs cooking a little in puree form to prevent the puree being too wet). I like to serve it with a green salad. It would also make a lovely starter if you used individual tart tins.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Peel and cube the Butternut Squash, then steam until soft.
- Place Butternut Squash in the blender and pulse till smooth.
- Season with Salt, Pepper and Nutmeg, then set aside to cool.
- Roll out Puff Pastry and line a large tart tin.
- Blind bake the Pastry for 25mins.
- Remove from the tart case from the oven and brush with Egg White to seal.
- For the Soufflé top, make a white sauce by melting the Butter in a pan over a medium heat. Add Flour and beat until smooth, continue cooking for 1 min. Remove from the heat and add Milk, again mix till smooth. Return to the heat to thicken. Then set aside to cool slightly. Finally add the Egg yolks and crumbled Cheese.
- Whisk the Egg Whites to soft peaks and fold into the Cheese sauce following a figure of 8 movement.
- Fill half the tart case with Butternut Squash then add the Soufflé mix on the top. Finish by sprinkling with breadcrumbs.
- Bake for 30mins or until a deep golden brown on the top and with a puffed top with a delicate bounce to the touch.
