Butternut Squash & Apple Galette

After a pretty successful Super Bowl party, or commercial watching party if you're not into the game (Me!), I bring you a semi healthy, delicious entree.



Here we have a Butternut Squash, Mushroom, & Apple Galette. A galette, in it's truest form, is a handmade, free form pie crust, which is assembled without a pie plate- very rustic looking, and hence, requires one less dish to clean up after eating! Yay for the plus sides!



The cons- lots of dicing of veggies, and knowing how much butter is really in that crust... However, I am a firm believer in the veggies more than making up for the butter, and quite frankly, eating this in moderation makes for a totally healthy meal.



First you must roast the veggies and fruit. I added mushrooms to the original recipe (about half way through the roasting) because I had them around, and quite frankly, love them. While the squash, mushrooms, apples, and onion are roasting, either thaw puff pastry, or make your own pie crust, which I did using a Julia Child recipe. Making your own crust is not overly difficult, especially when you can use a food processor to put everything together. Unfortunately for me, mine is not large enough, and therefore, I mixed my dough by hand.



At this point, you can either put everything in the refrigerator separately, or make everything. I actually pre-made the dough and veggies, and put the galette together the following day.



To assemble the galette, roll out your dough, and put veggies in the middle, leaving roughly 2 inches around the side. Once the veggies are all spread evenly, fold the 2 inches of veggie free crust over to make a free form pie. Put into the oven according to the directions and let stand for 10 minutes upon taking out of oven. Enjoy as this is delicious and filling!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Galette with Maple Mustard Glazeadapted from Perry's Plate

2 T grapeseed oil or canola oil
1/2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced into 3/4-inch cubes (about 3 cups), or thawed butternut squash
1 cup of mushrooms (optional)
2 large, tart baking apples, cored and diced into 3/4-inch cubes- I used Granny Smith
1 medium onion, halved, then sliced thinly
prepared pie crust dough, enough for one crust or make your own!
2 T maple syrup
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
fresh Parmesan or Pecorino-Romano cheese for garnish- I used gruyere cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place squash, apples, and onion onto a rimmed cookie sheet. Toss with the oil, then spread them out in a single layer. Roast in the center of the oven until everything is tender and beginning to turn golden (and even darker) in spots, about 35-40 minutes. Half way through the roasting, add the mushrooms. Remove from the oven and let it cool until room temperature. TIP: You can do this a day ahead of time. Simply store the roasted bits in the fridge, covered, until ready to use.

Preheat (or reduce temperature) to 375 degrees F. Whisk together the maple syrup and the mustard in a small bowl. Set aside.

Roll out pie crust dough into a circle, roughly 12 inches across. Transfer to a clean rimmed baking sheet. Spread the roasted vegetables on the circle evenly, leaving a 2-inch border all around. Brush the maple-mustard mixture onto the vegetables. Fold the dough toward the center, sealing any cracks or rips.

Bake in the center of the oven for about 25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Let it sit for 10 minutes or so before slicing. ( Cut into slices and sprinkle some gruyere shavings over top.