Savory Winter Squash Tartlets

These savory winter squash tartlets could be made with pumpkin, butternut squash, any kind of darker flesh winter squash.  Be creative! I took a chance on two gorgeous squash that were unusual, and they were absolutely amazing.  I mixed them together in this recipe. You could dry a dash of nutmeg.. I wanted to try it but I couldn't find mine.

This is the perfect side dish for Thanksgiving and is easy to make ahead!  I made them mini-cupcake and regular cupcake sized.  You can make this with cupcake liners in mini-cupcake size, regular cupcake size, or make a large one. Just watch cooking times.

This crust is a variation of Elana's from The Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook. I changed the oil to butter/coconut oil and doubled the onions.  I like it with butter in this recipe.  If you are dairy free, use coconut oil.  I am sure you could replace the cream in this recipe with coconut milk. If you try it, let me know how it turns out.

**To roast your squash, first slice off ends (stem), then slice in half from top to bottom.  Poke a few holes through the rind with a fork or sharp knife to release steam.  Pour enough water in a cookie sheet or shallow baking dish (latter is safer) to fill about a half inch, then place squash flesh side down and roast in a pre-heated oven on 400˚F until soft, time depends on variety and size.  Cool, scoop out flesh, and process in a food processor until smooth.




Savory Winter Squash Tartlets

1 savory crust recipe (see below)
2 & 1/2 cups pureed squash/pumpkin
5 eggs (I used farm eggs- they are between medium and large sized
1/2 cup cream
2 teaspoons sea salt
1/8 teaspoon or dash ground white pepper (optional)


Preheat oven to 375˚F.  Place the squash in bowl and blend, adding eggs one at a time.  (TIP: Always crack your eggs in a separate bowl first so you don't get eggshells in mixture).  Add cream, salt & pepper (if using).  Bake 12-17 minutes for small size, around 20 minutes for regular size & please post if you make one big one, how long it took you!


Almond Flour Savory Crust
adapted from the Gluten-Free Almond Flour Cookbook by Elana Amsterdam (buy it!!)

1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour (any kind)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons minced onions, shallots, or scallions
4 Tablespoons butter, or coconut oil
1 tablespoon water
cupcake liners, small or large - depending on your tins:
cupcake tins, small or large

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line your cupcake tins with liners.
Melt in a small saucepan on very low heat your butter, or coconut oil (if needed), until just melted, then remove from stove top.
In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, onions, and baking soda. Add the butter and water and mix together. Make small teaspoon or tablespoon sized balls (mini/regular sized tins respectively) and press them with your thumb into the bottom of each liner. (see pic below)
Bake for 5 - 10 minutes until golden brown. Remove and let cool.