Roasted Squash Crème Brûlée

In Canada, Thanksgiving is already well behind us. In fact, it sort of feels like ages ago, back in that golden glow that was the month of October. But I know you American friends out there are just getting revved up for it, so may this video get you in the spirit of the festivities to come and may it convey my very warmest Thanksgiving wishes to you all.

This little vignette was close to my heart because it features my dear friends at Waldegrave Farm, who have become like family in the past months. It also features an exquisite song by Grassmarket which I instantly fell in love with. That angelic voice and the words of the song so beautifully capture the feeling of fall and Thanksgiving. I am very grateful that they allowed me to use it in this video.

As for the brûlée, well, it's just a very fun recipe to make if you want to vary things up a little for Thanksgiving dessert. You may have noticed that when it comes to cooking, I really like baking things inside of things. Well this recipe is a continuation on that theme. I had initially been twirling around the idea of a pumpkin pie crème brûlée and then I had a vision of little baby squash halves filled with the stuff. Yah. 

I've always preferred the taste of squash rather than pumpkin for pies and desserts, so that's what I opted for. (Any winter squash will do though the rich sweet varieties like buttercup work best). The little guys turned out to be quite easy to make and my uncle even showed me how to use his chef's torch to caramelize and burn the sugar. Although the other time I made them, (on Thanksgiving dinner #2, because yes, I had 2 incredible Thanksviging feasts this year, lucky me!) I didn't have the torch and simply used the oven broiler. It was not as impeccably brulée-ed, but still did the trick. It's pretty darn delightful when you see them all lined up, looking cozy and festive. The recipe can be found on my post on PBS Food. Bon appétit!