Pan-fried butternut squash and apple salad.Haan Palcu-Chang
Though I'm based in Toronto now, I've spent six of the last seven years cooking in Europe and Asia. Living overseas has been a wonderful, challenging experience that often hasn't left me much time to be homesick. Still, if I'm in another country during October or November, I can't help but miss the crisp air and red-orange patchwork forests of an Ontario autumn. There's something about it that I never tire of.
When I'm abroad and it's the season, it's become a semi-intentional habit to cook food that reminds me of fall back home. Recently, I spent the month of October cooking as a guest chef at Chardon, a beautiful little restaurant owned by my friends in Arles, France. After getting some inspiration from the local market, this salad was one of the first dishes I put on the menu. For me, it hits just the right autumnal notes.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
2 tablespoons skinned hazelnuts
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
4 ¾-inch slices of butternut squash, cut into rounds and peeled and seeded if needed
2 tablespoons butter
2 Granny Smith apples, cut into ¾-inch slices
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Salt to taste
½ a green onion, finely sliced
10 large mint leaves
Method
Heat a toaster oven or oven to 325 F, place the hazelnuts on a tray and roast in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool, place on a cutting board and crush with the bottom of small pot
until broken into large chunks but not powdery. Set aside.
Place a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the sunflower oil. Place the squash rounds in the pan and let them cook for 4 to 5 minutes. You want them heavily caramelized, almost burned. Flip the squash over and repeat the cooking process on the other side. Once cooked, remove from pan, cut in half and keep somewhere warm. If your pan is not big enough to cook all the pieces of squash at once, do this in batches.
Heat a small pan over medium and add the butter. Once the butter starts frothing, keep a close eye on it and remove once the milk solids floating in the butter are a dark nutty brown. Remove immediately from the heat and place in a bowl.
Slice apple pieces into finger-width batons.
Assemble the salad: Place the apple and squash in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Coat with the butter and vinegar and season with salt. Taste for seasoning and add more vinegar or salt if necessary. Gently combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Check for seasoning once more. Slide onto a plate and serve immediately.