Butternut squash tarte tatin
Ingredients
- 750 g butternut squash, peeled, cut into 1 to 1.5 cm half-moons or wedges rounded
- 40 g butter rounded
- 2 shallot, thinly sliced rounded
- 15 g fresh sage leaves, plus extra to finish rounded
- 30 g honey, about 1.5 tablespoons rounded
- 350 g all-butter puff pastry, one sheet, kept cold rounded
- 100 g goat cheese or feta, crumbled rounded
- 20 g toasted pumpkin seeds rounded
- 0.5 tsp salt rounded
- 0.25 tsp black pepper, freshly ground rounded
Method
Method
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Peel the butternut squash and cut it into 1 to 1.5 cm half-moons or wedges, keeping the pieces roughly even so they cook at the same rate. Melt the butter in a 24 to 26 cm ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Once it’s foaming, add the squash in a single layer along with the sliced shallot and sage leaves, and season with salt and pepper.
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Cook, turning the pieces every few minutes, until the squash is tender when pierced with a knife and caramelized at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. If the pan looks dry before the squash is tender, add a splash of water (a tablespoon or two) to help it steam-soften without scorching the butter or the sage.
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Drizzle the honey over the squash and let it bubble for about a minute, coating the pieces in a glossy glaze. Pull the pan off the heat.
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Arrange the squash in one even, slightly overlapping layer, cut-side up so the tart looks good once flipped, and tuck the shallot into the gaps.
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Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) if it isn’t already. Lay the cold, pricked sheet of puff pastry directly over the squash, tucking the excess edge down inside the rim of the pan so it seals in the juices as it bakes.
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Bake until the pastry is deep golden brown and well risen, 25 to 30 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and let the tart rest in the pan for 5 minutes; this lets the caramel settle. Run a thin knife around the edge to loosen it, then invert onto a serving plate with a confident, quick motion (any stray pieces can just be nudged back into place).
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While still warm, crumble the goat cheese or feta over the top, scatter with extra sage leaves, and finish with the toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
- Storage and reheating: best eaten the day it’s made. Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheat well in a 180°C oven for about 10 minutes to recrisp the pastry (microwaving will make it soggy).
- Technique: cut the squash pieces evenly, thick pieces will still be firm when the pastry is done. If the pan is very hot, sage leaves can scorch quickly; add half at the start and the rest partway through cooking.
- Ingredient choice: butternut squash holds its shape and caramelizes predictably. Other squashes, like acorn or delicata, can work but tend to release more moisture and turn mushier, so watch the pan and add water splashes as needed.
Ingredient substitutions
- Puff pastry: all-butter puff pastry is the traditional and preferred choice here. It browns more deeply, tastes richer, and separates into distinct visible layers, unlike pastry made with vegetable shortening. In Germany, refrigerated Blätterteig from the chilled section is usually all-butter already and a reliable default. In the US and Canada, most supermarket puff pastry (like Pepperidge Farm) is made with vegetable shortening, so look specifically for an all-butter brand such as Dufour. Homemade rough puff pastry is a good middle ground for anyone who wants to make their own without committing to full classic lamination, which offers little visible benefit here since the pastry ends up as a flat lid rather than a laminated showpiece. Whichever pastry you use, it must go onto the tart cold, straight from the fridge, or it won’t puff properly and may shrink or slide as it bakes.
- Cheese: feta gives a saltier, tangier finish; a soft rindless goat cheese melts in more and gives a creamier result. A crumbly aged pecorino works in a pinch, though it changes the flavor profile.