versatility in the air, and my sensible heart travels humbly through the days. one warm week and one bitter wind later we’re traipsing the path to an official spring date. it’s chaos and curiosity. pomp and circumstance. curtness and kindness. mourning and blessing. time never quite doing what you want it to, but never failing.
i wanted to share the last squash this week, a golden beacon calling out for transition and praising the finality of its preservation. this last breed is called a ‘sweet meat’, composed of marigold flesh and a moody gray tan. the sweetest taste and the smoothest texture make it a perfect candidate for all forms of culinary applications. it is a gentle reminder that an autumn bounty can share kinship with a blustery, rain-snow-spackled day in march. deep golden hues revealed by cloudy skin. happy sad for this moment, and eager to feel it for all years to come.
.
one course of squash, and it’s spoonbread. a soft deliberation led to a rather easy decision that this event was best enjoyed somehow with a spoon and butter. something to reflect with, and something to soak into the sweet innards of the surviving harvest. seemingly, a well-rounded nod to last season and a steady-handed shake to the next. sweet and savory, here and gone. a solitary endeavor or a communal elation. last of the squash and first coming forth of the spring.
- 2½ cups buttermilk
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) of unsalted butter
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup white cornmeal
- 1 cup squash puree
- 3 large eggs, whites separated from yolks
- 2 tbl chopped, fresh chives
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp fennel seed, crushed
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- preheat oven to 350 degrees. in a medium saucepan over medium heat, slowly bring the buttermilk, butter, and salt to a simmer. once combined gradually add the cornmeal, whisking into the mixture until all is thickened, about 1-2 minutes. whisk/fold in the squash puree and set aside.
- in a large bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, chives, cinnamon, fennel seed, and turmeric. whisk in the cornmeal mixture and set aside.
- beat/mix the egg whites into soft peaks. fold ¼ of the egg whites into the cornmeal batter, and then fold in the rest. add batter to a 9x5 loaf pan and bake until set, about 40 minutes.
Danielle what a tasteful tribute to all that led up to the middle of March…and all that will follow..
Thank you Jean, your words mean so much to me. I am quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) awaiting the new change of pace. xo
Hi Danielle, what a curious creation, kind quite figure out whether its breakfast, dessert or afternoon tea. Perhaps it’s beauty is that it’s all three. Happy Thursday.
Hello Nicola! Happy week to you, and thank you so much – spoonbread is most definitely a curious dish, but relatively adaptable and I think I like that element too. (:
What a lovely way to bridge the seasons. I was totally sucked into this recipe and then noticed to my added delight that it is naturally gluten-free! The word spoonbread evokes comfort in the best way. This looks wonderful, Danielle.
Tessa, I love that you were drawn to the naturally gluten free in the first place. Thank you so much for your lovely words – I found this a good tribute to the last remaining days of winter. xo
What a beautiful post, I love the idea of spoon bread. As ready as I am for spring I have to say I’m not quite ready to give up my favorite squash!!
Liora, thank you! It’s amazing how long some squash will keep, definite keepers in my book – and they do a spoon bread great justice! xo
Give me this spoonbread and a fried egg and call it brunch. Yum. Can’t wait to try, here in the seasonless land of squash all year round ;).
Oh yes Lily, an egg sounds the perfect addition. And since you would surely trade a day of heat for snow – I’d gladly fill the other half of that equation with you. (;