Butternut Squash Goat Cheese Crostini Food

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, RICOTTA, AND SAGE CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F. Toss squash, 2 tablespoons oil, and sugar in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, tossing occasionally, until squash is golden and tender, 25-30 minutes. Let cool on sheet.
• Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add sage; cook until edges begin to curl and turn dark green, 1-2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, carefully transfer to paper towels to drain. Mix ricotta and lemon zest in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Butternut squash, sage leaves, and ricotta can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill squash. Store sage airtight at room temperature. Cover and chill ricotta mixture. Bring squash to room temperature before serving.
• Spread 1 tablespoon of ricotta mixture on each baguette slice. Top each with a few squash cubes. Drizzle crostini with lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Top crostini with 2 fried sage leaves each.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH GOAT CHEESE CROSTINI

Steps:

• Easy 4-step process

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH GOAT CHEESE AND SQUASH CROSTINI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Place the halved spaghetti squash, cut side up, in a baking dish, and dust with salt and pepper. Put a tablespoon of butter in the center of each. Bake for 1 hour. Set aside.
• Cut the butternut squash into three pieces. Remove the hard outer skin and the seeds. Cut the flesh into 1/3-inch cubes. (You should have 5 cups.)
• Slice the leeks coarsely widthwise. (You should have about 1 1/2 cups.)
• Place 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until wilted, about a minute. Add the leeks and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
• Place the 5 cups of butternut squash in the pot with the onions and leeks. Cook for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the butternut squash is just soft.
• Puree the squash mixture to a fine texture in a blender or food processor. Add a tablespoon of olive oil and adjust seasonings. Keep warm.
• Place the goat cheese in a mixing bowl. Slice the cheese coarsely. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Chop up the cheese with a spoon to a rough texture.
• Scrape the flesh from the spaghetti squash, and place in a bowl. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
• Brush the baguette slices with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and toast until crisp. Sprinkle Parmesan over the toast. Arrange some spaghetti squash over the bread. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Place some of the crumbled goat cheese in the bottom of each soup plate. Ladle the soup over. If desired, garnish the soup with some of the remaining spaghetti squash.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH FONTINA CHEESE CROSTINI

Steps:

• In an 8-quart stockpot, add the butter and oil and melt together over medium-high heat. Add the onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the squash and the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the sage. Continue to boil until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Turn off the heat. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and thick. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Keep the soup warm over low heat.
• For the crostini: Put an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Arrange the bread slices on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sage. Sprinkle the cheese on top and season with salt, to taste. Bake until the cheese has melted and the bread is light golden, about 6 to 8 minutes.
• To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the cheese crostini.
• Cook's Note: The cooked vegetable mixture can also be pureed (after cooling for about 5 minutes) by ladling, in batches, into a food processor or blender and blended until smooth.