Brown Butter Butternut Squash Ribbons
Most butternut squash recipes need an hour in the oven. These butternut squash ribbons need two minutes in a pan, which means you can make them while your roast chicken rests. We’re Jody and Kirstie, Red Seal chefs at The Culinary Studio, and this is the second dish we make from one St. Jacobs Market squash.
Made in collaboration with St. Jacobs Market.
How to Make Butternut Squash Ribbons
Cut off the neck of the squash, peel it, then run a Y-peeler down its length in long, steady strokes. The neck has no seeds, so you get clean ribbons from top to bottom. Keep the pressure light for thin ribbons that cook in two minutes.
If you made our raw butternut squash crostini, you already know this move. Same squash, same peeler, and this time it goes into a hot pan.
Why Brown Butter
Brown butter is butter cooked past melted, until the milk solids toast and smell like hazelnuts. Those toasted solids are where most of the flavour comes from.
Here’s what happens in the pan. As butter melts, it separates into fat, water and milk solids. The water cooks off, and the milk solids, which hold sugars and proteins, start to brown through the Maillard reaction. That’s the same reaction that browns a steak or toasts bread. The butter foams, the foam settles, and the bits on the bottom go golden, then hazelnut brown.
Use a light-coloured pan so you can see the solids change colour. Scrape every brown bit out with the butter, because that’s the flavour.
Why the Gouda Goes In Off the Heat
Added off the heat, the Gouda softens on the warm ribbons instead of melting into the butter. You still taste the cheese as cheese, and its flavour sits alongside the brown butter and rosemary instead of disappearing into them.
Kirstie picked up our Gouda at Mickey McGuire’s Cheese. An aged Gouda with some nuttiness of its own is a natural match for brown butter.
Why Sherry Vinegar
Brown butter is rich, and a few drops of sherry vinegar cut through it. The acid brightens the whole dish so the sweetness of the squash comes forward. One teaspoon is plenty. You should notice the dish tastes livelier, without being able to pick out the vinegar.
Brown Butter Butternut Squash Ribbons Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: 2-4 servings as a side 1x
Ingredients
- 4 cups butternut squash ribbons (from the neck)
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary or sage
- 100 g Gouda, grated
- 1 tsp sherry vinegar
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Peel the neck of the squash, then run a Y-peeler down its length to make 4 cups of ribbons. Keep them next to the stove.
- Melt the butter in a light-coloured skillet over medium heat. Swirl the pan as it foams.
- Watch the milk solids on the bottom of the pan. When they turn hazelnut brown and the butter smells nutty, it’s ready. This takes a few minutes.
- Add the rosemary and let it crisp for a few seconds.
- Add the ribbons with a pinch of salt and toss with tongs for 2 minutes, until just tender and glossy.
- Remove the pan from the heat. Top with the Gouda and black pepper, then drizzle with the sherry vinegar. Serve right away.
Made in collaboration with St. Jacobs Market.
Notes
Where We Shopped at St. Jacobs Market
- Butternut squash: 100 Mile Produce
- Gouda: Mickey McGuire’s Cheese
- Rosemary: Local Farmer’s Produce Co.
When you pick your squash, look for one that’s heavy for its size with a long, thick neck. We cover the rest in how to pick a butternut squash.
What to Serve With Butternut Squash Ribbons
These ribbons belong next to something roasted. Try them with roast chicken or a seared pork chop. They’re also good piled on a bowl of soft polenta for a vegetarian dinner.
Jody and Kirstie’s Hot Tips
- Use a light-coloured pan. A dark pan hides the browning, and you won’t see the butter turn until it’s gone too far.
- Have the ribbons ready before the butter goes in. Brown butter goes from perfect to burnt fast, so don’t walk away.
- Two minutes is enough. Cook the ribbons longer and they go limp and break apart.
- Scrape out every brown bit. That’s where the flavour is.
About the Authors
Jody O’Malley and Kirstie Herbstreit are the Red Seal certified chef co-owners of The Culinary Studio in Waterloo, Ontario. Jody is a Stratford Chefs School graduate (2002) and Kirstie trained at SAIT in Calgary (2003). Together, they bring over 20 years of professional cooking experience and 15 years building one of Canada’s leading culinary education businesses. They teach home cooks the science and techniques behind great food, not just the recipes, and co-host the Chef Over Your Shoulder podcast alongside Amy Schlueter. This recipe is part of their series with St. Jacobs Market, What the Chefs Buy at St. Jacobs.