NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/1028906
OCTOBER 2018 • NEBRASKAland 31 brush them with the sauce and sprinkle with the lemon zest before you serve. You can also put a little sauce on the plate if you like. Small's Fruit Farm Fall Apple • 2 apples • 1 oz George Paul white wine vinegar • 1 oz Sander's Farm dark honey • 2 oz whole unsalted butter • Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste • .25 oz fresh chives or parsley, minced Wash apples and cut into quarters, leaving skin on. Remove the core of the apple and cut the apple into wedges about .25-inch thick. In a saute pan, add your butter and allow the butter to foam. Once butter is foamed, add your apples and cook until they are crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Add the honey and vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper. When you are ready to serve the apples, add the chives or parsley. Shadowbrook Farm's Butternut Squash • 1 large or two small butternut squash • .25 oz fresh cinnamon, toast and ground • 2 oz Sander's Farm dark honey • .25 oz coffee grounds, finely ground • 3 fresh thyme sprigs • 3 oz neutral cooking oil • 2 oz whole unsalted butter • Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste Cut the bulb of the butter nut away from the neck. Scrap the seeds out of the bulb and peel the neck of the butternut. Cut the neck down the middle lengthwise and then cut into .25-inch slices. Sprinkle the inside of the bulb with the coffee grounds, cinnamon, 1 oz of butter in each, salt and pepper. Wrap the bulbs in aluminum foil and bake in a 350 degree oven until they are completely tender; this should take about 1-1.5 hours. Using the neck of the butternut, add them and the cooking oil to a sauté pan or sauce pot on medium heat. Season with salt and pepper and cook until tender. If the squash starts to develop any color, you can add little bits of water in stages to help the cooking process. The goal is to have very tender squash without any browning. Once both types of squash are cooked, scrape the flesh out of the bulb of the butternut and mix with the softened sautéed neck. Make sure you put the butter and liquid from the roasted squash into the puree as well, discard the thyme sprigs. If you would like a very smooth puree of butternut, put this mixture into the blender with the honey and blend until smooth. If you would like the squash more rustic, mash with a fork in a mixing bowl and mix in the honey. Season to taste with salt and pepper. To assemble, divide the butternut squash mash/puree among your four plates evenly. Spoon apples on top and place one quail on top of the apples. If you have any of the coffee sauce left, you can put some on the plate . – Clayton Chapman PHOTO BY RYAN SPARKS