Nourish the Budding Lotus

Butternut Squash Flan with Pecan Crust

Fearless Creativity.  Funny, I definitely don’t think of myself as fearless, but I will say that when it comes to cooking and baking, I get the closest to this sense of fearlessness.  Maybe that is why I love cooking.  Usually when I am feeling overwhelmed and stuck, I retreat to the kitchen to lighten my heart and work on releasing what binds me…

This week, I have been in serious need of some fearlessness, so I have been adding creativity here and there between the kitchen and my studio. I guess here is where I can fearlessly plug my newest jewelry designs which you can see in my etsy shop and get a preview of at the bottom of the page…

But back to the kitchen…  This recipe was super easy, and I hope you will try it out!  It was a total experiment and I will surely tweak it for next time, but after rave reviews last night (from my mother) I know it is ready for the world to taste!

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Butternut Squash Flan with Pecan Crust

1.5 lbs butternut squash
1 1/4 c rice milk
3 eggs
cinnamon
garam masala
salt
pepper

1 c raw pecans
1 t fresh rosemary
1 T coconut oil

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Lightly grease a pyrex pie dish with coconut oil.

Cut butternut squash in half lengthwise, scoop seeds out of each half and place each half open-side-down on a lightly greased pan.  Cook in the oven for 30-45 minutes.  Test with a fork and when it is done remove it from the oven and let cool.

**Turn oven down to 350 F for the next phase of cooking.

In the meantime, using a food processor, chop the pecans and rosemary leaves to achieve a medium/fine consistency.  You want to have some texture, but not too chunky.  Add a pinch of salt to taste, then combine the pecan mixture in a small bowl with the coconut oil.  Once combined, this mixture can be spread on the bottom of the pie plate and flattened with a spatula.

Once the squash has cooled, peel it, and place the “meat” in the food processor.  Add the rice milk in small batches to first achieve a smooth consistency with the squash, and then to get the milk and squash to combine completely.  Add seasonings “to-taste” starting with 1/2 t salt, 1 t cinnamon and 1 T of garam masala and then adding more if you prefer.  Lastly add the 3 eggs to the squash mixture and process for 45 seconds.*

Pour the squash mixture over the pecan crust and spread evenly with a spatula.  Cook in the oven for 45 minutes.  You will know the flan is done when the center is firm.

*note: depending on the size of your food processor, you might not be able to blend the entire squash mixture at once.  Feel free to do it in batches and mix it all in a bowl in the end.

Let me know what you think!

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