This is the third in my series leading up to Thanksgiving, providing some fun and different recipes to make your holiday even more special. We’ve got our soup and dessert down, so how about an appetizer?

Appetizer’s are key if you’re throwing a big dinner. If you’re cooking all day, you may be grabbing bites here and there but you need to make sure the family has some snacks to keep them from starving before the big meal. Throw out some bowls with nuts and then you can create a few hand held bites that you can put out on plates throughout the day.

This galette would make a great side dish or you can make them smaller and use it as an appetizer. These are good at room temperature as well so you can cook them earlier in the day and then just pull them out when you’re ready to go. The original recipe called for chopped sage in the crust but I used some rosemary that I had on hand. You can play around with different herb combinations, I think I’ll try some thyme if I do it again. I added some strips of prosciutto to the top as well for some extra finesse. The recipe also said to cut the butternut squash in 1/4×2 inch lengths. I made them 1/4x1inch lengths but I think I would have preferred just doing it in cubes so that it retained a little more of it’s texture after cooking. Either way, the flavor combination was fun but still reminiscent of fall making it a great addition to our Thanksgiving meal.

Butternut Squash Galette

adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients

+For pastry:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon chopped sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 to 6 tablespoons ice-cold water
1 large egg, lightly beaten

+For filling:

1 (2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2- by 1/4-inch slices (4 cups)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced crosswise
6 ounces soft mild goat cheese, crumbled

Directions

+Make dough:

Pulse flour, butter, sage, and sea salt in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle ice water evenly over mixture and pulse until it just forms a ball. (Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.) Gently press dough into a 5-inch disk and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

+Make filling while dough chills:

Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in middle.

Toss squash with sea salt and 1 Tbsp oil and arrange in 1 layer in a 17-by 12-inch shallow baking pan. Roast, stirring once halfway through roasting, until golden brown on edges and undersides, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove squash from oven and reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

Meanwhile, wash leeks, then cook in remaining 2 tablespoons oil with a pinch of sea salt in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl to cool slightly. Add squash, goat cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and toss gently.

+Make galette:

Roll out dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Transfer to a baking sheet. 3Arrange filling in an even layer in center of dough, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border. Fold dough in on itself to cover outer rim of filling, pleating dough as necessary. Brush pastry with beaten egg and bake galette until crust is cooked through and golden on edges, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on a rack 10 minutes before serving.

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Foodplayer Linda

I am sure you love food. Otherwise, you won’t be here. As a full-time and a part-time chef at a local restaurant, I know my way around food. Ever since I was a young girl, I enjoyed helping my mom in the kitchen.

We would often experiment with the spices, ingredients, and flavors and create great meals for my brothers and dad. Since cocking was my first passion, I decided to go in that direction. I finished culinary school, got my first job, and started developing my skills.

Later when kids came, I had all the liberty in the kitchen to combine some of the unique flavors. A lot of them were a success, but now and there I would make a couple of mistakes.