Throwback Thursday: Butternut Squash Toast

This post originally appeared on January 30, 2015

If you want a dynamite appetizer for Thanksgiving (today!) try this butternut squash toast. It's very fall-ish, both sweet and savory, and just all around delish.

If you don't want to make it for dinner tonight (I realize it's very last-minute) it's great anytime in the colder months, or whenever you can find whole winter squash.

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New Year's Eve 2014 was very much a repeat of New Year's Eve 2013: we went to Cunningham's for dinner, came home to watch Kathy Griffin taunt Anderson Cooper until midnight, then toasted the new year with champagne and Christmas cookies. We love that Cunningham's opened in our area; it's ideal for both casual and fancy meals, and because it's so close, we don't have to worry too much about encountering drunken revelers on our way home.

The restaurant offered a prix fixe dinner last year, but we opted to order from the regular a la carte menu. It was less-expensive that way, and allowed us to skip dessert. Plus, there were more selections. I had been intrigued by the idea of butternut squash toasts, a dish that was praised by Richard Gorelick in his 2013 review of Cunningham's. He describes the toast as comprising ricotta, maple syrup, and cider vinegar, in addition to the squash. We ordered the toasts as one of our appetizers and really enjoyed it, even Mr Minx, who is not the biggest fan of squash.

Those flavors stuck with me, and a few weeks into the new year, I decided to try to replicate it. But before I reinvented the wheel, I looked on teh Innernets to see if anything like it was out there. Lo and behold, there was--a recipe by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, which had been restyled and reblogged a couple of times. It involved squash, ricotta, maple syrup, cider vinegar, and thick slices of toast, so I'm pretty sure it's the inspiration for Cunningham's dish. And it seemed easy enough to make at home.

What's not easy is peeling butternut squash. Jean-Georges' recipe called for roasting and mashing, but I liked the diced squash at Cunningham's. Thought it would be more attractive as well. J-G also called for what seemed to be an inordinate amount of cider vinegar and maple syrup--1/4 cup each--and 2 teaspoons of salt. Yowza. No need for either excess; the dish is even better when it's not cloyingly sweet. Besides, all of that additional liquid would make the dish too soupy. Yes, I do have the audacity to question Jean-Georges. Cooking is all about what pleases the eater, not the chef. And this dish is so good, I'd do it all over again.

Butternut Squash Toasts (adapted from a recipe by Jean-Georges Vongerichten)

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into small dice
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Large pinch aleppo pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Country bread, cut into 1-inch thick slices
Ricotta cheese
Coarse salt
Minced chives and chile threads for garnish

Preheat oven to 450. Combine squash, 1/4 cup olive oil, aleppo pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a bowl and toss well. Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast, stirring twice, until tender and lightly caramelized, 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan. Add the onions and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onions are well softened and darkening, about 20 minutes Add the vinegar and maple syrup and cook an additional 10-15 minutes.

Combine squash and onions in a bowl. Taste for seasoning. Add a touch more maple syrup if you want it to be sweeter, but we enjoyed it on the more savory side.

Lightly toast bread. Spread some ricotta on toasts, then top with the squash-onion mixture. Sprinkle with chopped chives and chile threads.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Butternut Squash Toast

New Year's Eve 2014 was very much a repeat of New Year's Eve 2013: we went to Cunningham's for dinner, came home to watch Kathy Griffin taunt Anderson Cooper until midnight, then toasted the new year with champagne and Christmas cookies. We love that Cunningham's opened in our area; it's ideal for both casual and fancy meals, and because it's so close, we don't have to worry too much about encountering drunken revelers on our way home.

The restaurant offered a prix fixe dinner last year, but we opted to order from the regular a la carte menu. It was less-expensive that way, and allowed us to skip dessert. Plus, there were more selections. I had been intrigued by the idea of butternut squash toasts, a dish that was praised by Richard Gorelick in his 2013 review of Cunningham's. He describes the toast as comprising ricotta, maple syrup, and cider vinegar, in addition to the squash. We ordered the toasts as one of our appetizers and really enjoyed it, even Mr Minx, who is not the biggest fan of squash.

Those flavors stuck with me, and a few weeks into the new year, I decided to try to replicate it. But before I reinvented the wheel, I looked on teh Innernets to see if anything like it was out there. Lo and behold, there was--a recipe by Jean-Georges Vongerichten, which had been restyled and reblogged a couple of times. It involved squash, ricotta, maple syrup, cider vinegar, and thick slices of toast, so I'm pretty sure it's the inspiration for Cunningham's dish. And it seemed easy enough to make at home.

What's not easy is peeling butternut squash. Jean-Georges' recipe called for roasting and mashing, but I liked the diced squash at Cunningham's. Thought it would be more attractive as well. J-G also called for what seemed to be an inordinate amount of cider vinegar and maple syrup--1/4 cup each--and 2 teaspoons of salt. Yowza. No need for either excess; the dish is even better when it's not cloyingly sweet. Besides, all of that additional liquid would make the dish too soupy. Yes, I do have the audacity to question Jean-Georges. Cooking is all about what pleases the eater, not the chef. And this dish is so good, I'd do it all over again.

Butternut Squash Toasts (adapted from a recipe by Jean-Georges Vongerichten)

1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into small dice
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Large pinch aleppo pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons maple syrup
Country bread, cut into 1-inch thick slices
Ricotta cheese
Coarse salt
Minced chives and chile threads for garnish

Preheat oven to 450. Combine squash, 1/4 cup olive oil, aleppo pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a bowl and toss well. Transfer the mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast, stirring twice, until tender and lightly caramelized, 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large pan. Add the onions and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the onions are well softened and darkening, about 20 minutes Add the vinegar and maple syrup and cook an additional 10-15 minutes.

Combine squash and onions in a bowl. Taste for seasoning. Add a touch more maple syrup if you want it to be sweeter, but we enjoyed it on the more savory side.

Lightly toast bread. Spread some ricotta on toasts, then top with the squash-onion mixture. Sprinkle with chopped chives and chile threads.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Cunningham's Cafe

Recently, Mr Minx and I got to try samples of the delicious goodies available for breakfast and lunch at the new Cunningham's Cafe in Towson. Located under Cunningham's restaurant, this rustic-chic cafe features a menu of breakfast and lunch favorites that are served from 7am - 5pm Monday through Friday, and from 8am to 3pm on weekends.

As with Cunningham's upstairs and the other Bagby Group restaurants, everything at the Cafe is made in-house, and much of it is sourced from their own Cunningham Farms. Like the pork in the Porchetta sandwich, for example, which is served with fontina cheese, sweet peppers, broccoli raab, and aioli on a French roll. We also sampled the tender Roast Beef Boursin with onion, tomato, and horseradish aioli on a French roll and, my favorite, the more simple Tomato Jam with scallions on a cheddar biscuit. The petite oyster po' boys were delicious as well, and I am looking forward to going back and tucking into a full-sized model.

Also sampled were the lusciously creamy mac and cheese, and a plethora of desserts, including moist carrot cake cupcakes and ginormous chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies. There's plenty more on offer as far as sweets are concerned, with pound cake, brownies, macarons, and more, all made by pastry chef Angie Lee. Head Baker John Aversa's products are also for sale. An array of his crisp-crusted breads are displayed behind the counter and are a focal point of the room. At least to this bread-lover. (We snagged a loaf of rosemary lemon, one of the regularly featured varieties. So good!)

There are beverages, too, including the Cafe's own cold-brewed iced coffee, made with beans from Annapolis' Ceremony Coffee Roasters, and a specialty cinnamon toast latte that will make you forget all about the seasonal drinks from that multinational coffee company down the street.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, please to enjoy the slideshow of our peek at Cunningham's Cafe, and then mosey on over there when you get a chance.

Cunningham’s Café & Bakery
1 Olympic Place
Towson, Maryland 21204
410-339-7750
info@cunninghamstowson.com



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Cunningham's

The other day, Mr Minx and I attended a soft opening/friends and family preview at Cunningham's, the Bagby Group's newest restaurant. Located in Towson City Center (that building tucked into the wedge of land between York and Dulaney Valley Roads, just north of the traffic circle), Cunningham's brings a much-needed elegance to the area dining scene.

The decor is both dressed-up and relaxed, with pale walls, marble-topped room separators, and an open kitchen with nearby bar seating. I love the ceiling lighting, which resembles flowers, or in the case of the single large fixture at the back of the main room, a particularly fancy bundt cake. The bar area, too, is very attractive, with its back-lit marble bar top and near panoramic view of...well, Towson. But still, it's a fine place to have a drink and something to eat.

Pork belly and shrimp dumplings, salsa verde coulis, pickled radish

Pretzel-encrusted fried oysters, mustard fruits, cabbage, sauerkraut chowder

Hudson Valley duck breast, gold rice, squash and turnip salad, huckleberries, horseradish

Seared rockfish, autumn vegetable succotash, parsley root puree, Cunningham's
bacon, wax pepper coulis

Roasted Brussels sprouts, Caesar dressing

Roasted turnips, quince vinegar, thyme

The menu at Cunningham's, under the direction of Executive Chef Chris Allen and Bagby's corporate Executive Chef Chris Becker, features seasonal dishes, with much of the fresh produce, eggs, and pork provided by the Bagby Group's own Cunningham Farms.

Pumpkin cream cake: pumpkin chiffon, cheesecake, green apple sorbet

Almond cake, cranberry apple compote, mascarpone-fig swirl ice cream, almond nougatine

We sampled appetizers, entrees, side dishes, and desserts, and were excited by both the freshness and the creativity of every item. Pastry Chef Angie Lee's desserts were particularly enticing, and baker John Aversa's breads were simply outstanding. We look forward to being able to visit Cunningham's Café and Bakery (downstairs) to pick up a loaf or two to take home.

The restaurant opens Friday, November 22nd, and we're sure it will be a hit.

Cunningham's
1 Olympic Pl
Towson, MD 21204
http://cunninghamstowson.com/





Posted on Minxeats.com.