Butternut Squash Tart

I really love appetizers, especially long drawn out ones that take forever to make but result in a simple but delicious snack.  I spent over two hours on Sunday roasting and carmelizing onions to make Caramelized Onion and Shallot Dip.  That dip was amazing, and highly recommended with potato chips.  I bought my personal favorite, Wheat Thins, as a back up, and I couldn't put down the chips.  Go big or go home, I guess.

Bon Appetit October 2012 has a really fun "Guide to Hors D'oeuvres" that I am loving.  There are five main steps:
1) You deserve a shower
2) Never let them see you deep fry
3) Its the economy of scale, silly
4) Fake it and make it
5) Chips and the dip: its the law - see Onion Dip above

Worried I might get on a dip kick similiar to college 2010 (I think sustained myself almost completely on a variety of homemade dips for a period of at least a month), I decided I needed to branch out a bit.

Following Rule #3 - Economy of Scale, I decided to make the Butternut Squash Tart with Fried Burned Sage.

The verdict?  Totally worth it and totally delicious.  If you are serving many people, make a few.  They are actually really easy and impressive looking.  I ate about 1/3 of mine for dinner without even trying, so these can go really fast.

Ingredients - note that even purchasing with one tart in mind, I had enough ingredients to double without having to buy extra

Frozen Puff Pastry - note this is NOT the same as Phyllo dough.  I made that mistake once and never will again.  Look in the freezer section near the cream puffs, whip cream, and eclairs.  The box looks small, but you do want the 17.3 oz version.

 

1 large egg (I used two of my friends' eggs from their chickens - one would have sufficed).

 

12 1/8 inch thick rounds of peeled butternut squash from the neck of the squash - I was worried I didn't slice them thin enough to cook through, but the bigger chunks were not a problem.

 

3 Tbsp olive oil

 

Kosher salt

 

1/4 cup honey

 

1 jalapeno

 

12 fresh sage leaves

 

1/4 cup shaved parmesan

 

Grinds of black pepper

 

The instructions are pretty self explanatory, so just follow the Bon Appetit recipe.  I do have a few tips though:

1) Realize pastry dough takes 40 minutes to thaw and take out of the fridge and wrapper in time.  Do not try to unroll prematurely or it will probably break.

2) Have all the sage leaves ready and throw in at once.  These fry incredibly quickly and I burned mine. They don't taste like much when burned.

3) Use big flaky sea salt when sprinkling with salt

4) Keep in mind this is surprisingly easy to cut.  I didn't think it would be - you could easily cut into slices, squares, or whatver you desire.

5) Apply jalapeno honey liberally. For those who enjoy spicy, add the jalapenos on top.

6) Eat with friends around.  This is dangerous to keep around the house solo.

7) Don't worry about a super strong tsquash taste for guests who don't like vegetables.  This is really more of a showcase on the tin buttery pastry dough and the spicy sweet honey.