Sticky butternut squash beignets

One you've been waiting for, how to make sticky butternut squash beignets. It's filled with a sweet & sour butternut squash filling and glazed with a carrot & honey glaze.

The butternut squash batter

1	butternut squash
	Olive oil & flaky salt
	A couple of leaves of sage

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150 grams	cooked squash meat
180 grams	carrot juice
2	eggs
6 grams	salt
240 grams	flour
30 grams	corn starch

Start by cutting a butternut squash in half. Now use a spoon to scrap out the seeds. Keep the seeds aside for later. Then cut a cross pattern into the halves. After that drizzle some olive oil on top and season with flaky salt. Now fill the whole with a couple of leaves of sage and turn them around on a silicon sheet. Bake them at 180 degrees Celsius for 1 hour. Once their cooked turn them around and scrap out the meat. Put 150 grams of the meat into a bowl together with the carrot juice, the eggs and the salt. Now mix this with a hand blender till it’s smooth. Then add the flour and the corn starch. Mix this until it’s smooth once more and then directly stop. You don’t want to activate to much gluten. Then pour it into a syphon and charge it with two charges. Be sure to shake it well after each charge and then let it rest overnight in your fridge.

The squash filling

1	butternut squash
130 grams	white wine
130 grams	water
130 grams	white wine vinegar
130 grams	sugar
4 grams	salt
1	lemongrass
40 grams	ginger
5	lime leaves

Cut a butternut squash in half. Now use a spoon to scrap out the seeds. Keep the seeds aside for later. After that clean the sides of the squash. Then cut them on a mandolin into thin slices. After that cut them into julienne and then into small cubes called brunoise. Set this aside for later. Now pour the white wine into a saucepan and also add the water, the white wine vinegar, the sugar and the salt. Then chop the lemongrass into small pieces and do this as well with the ginger. Add this to the saucepan together with the lime leaf. Bring this to a boil. Once it’s boiling turn of the heat and let it marinade for 2 hours. Then bring it to boil once more and pour it through a sieve onto the cut squash. Now cover it and let it marinate in your fridge for at least 4 hours. After that drain it.

The toasted mustard seeds

200 grams	whole grain mustard
200 grams	neutral oil

Transfer the mustard into a saucepan together with the oil. Now let it simmer on a low heat until the seeds are caramelized. Stir it every now and then to prevent it from burning. Once it caramelized put it through a sieve and then transfer it onto some kitchen paper to extract as many oil as possible. Once it has cooled down keep it dry and covered.

The carrot glaze

600 grams	carrot juice
100 grams	honey
2 grams	salt
1	lemongrass
20 grams	ginger
5	lime leaves

Pour the carrot juice into a saucepan and also add the honey and the salt. Now chop the lemongrass into small pieces and do this as well with the ginger. Add this to the saucepan together with the lime leaves. Reduce this on a low heat till one third. Then put it through a fine sieve.

The squash seeds

Transfer then into some hot water and clean them. After that let them dry on a kitchen paper. Now spread them onto a silicon sheet and drizzle some olive oil and flaky salt on top. Then toast them for 20 minutes at 160 degrees Celsius.

How to finish the beignets

Heat up a pan filled with oil till it’s 180 degrees Celsius. Put the ladle in the oil as well and when it’s hot fill it halfway with the batter. Then put a spoon of the filling on top and cover this with some more batter. Now carefully lower the ladle into the fat and then beignet should let go of the ladle. Then base it with the oil until it’s golden brown on all sides. After that bring some of the glaze to a boil and once it’s boiling add the beignets and cover them with the sticky glaze. Then sprinkle some of the caramelized mustard seeds and squash seeds on top. Crunchy and sticky on the outside and fluffy on the inside, just beautiful!