The last seasonal recipe that was suggested to me by Wegman’s Chef Don Woods was the Butternut Squash, Apple, and Gorgonzola Gratin. The recipe can be found here on Wegman’s website, or on page 58 of Wegman’s Fall 2009 Menu Cookbook. I was really looking forward to making this recipe. Don Woods advised me to try this recipe because I asked for stuff that included local produce, and he said that we were fortunate to have some of the best apples in the world grown here in
I bought the ingredients at the Wegmans and the total came to a little over $20. I have to truly advise anyone making this recipe to use the Wegman’s basting oil found in the spices aisle, if for no other reason than that the herbs and spices in it give off an amazing smell in the kitchen. Wegman’s gets a thumbs up from me for that stuff.
Much like the Mediterranean Harvest Gratin that I made previously, this vegetable casserole was very simple to make. There was a little more work than with the Mediterranean Harvest Gratin though, because the cooking time is longer and the casserole needs to be taken out a couple times, flattened, and then put back in. I took a shortcut, however, when it came to cutting up the squash and apples; I didn’t slice them as thin as the recipe called for because, being an inexperienced cook, I feared mangling my fingers trying to cut stuff that thin. The result of my thin slicing phobia is that my casserole didn’t look as cool and neatly layered as the one in the picture above. However, the meal still tasted amazing. A couple other minor changes I made to the recipe was that I added more nutmeg (because I didn’t think that 1/8th of a teaspoon was going to do much), and I used crumbled up gorgonzola cheese which I spread out evenly over the gratin to make nice cheese layer, instead of dropping dollops of it around the casserole.
The gratin came out great; I think that this was the best tasting meal I made from the cookbook. I was worried that the apples might come out of the oven dry, but they were soft, moist, and delicious. The butternut squash soaked up the heavy cream and was soft as butter, and really amazing. The heavy cream and extra nutmeg did their job well: the casserole almost tasted like it was cooked in egg nog, with all the creamy flavors and subtle fall spices it contained. Obviously, this wasn’t the healthiest recipe I made from Wegman’s, but it was probably my favorite recipe. It tasted great, and was very easy to make. If I could make a meal taste this good, then anyone can.
The Butternut Squash, Apple, and Gorgonzola Gratin could be served as either an entrée or an appetizer. Although as an entrée it doesn’t make 8 servings like it says in the recipe, more like three. As an appetizer though, with smaller portions, this could make an excellent appetizer for a large group; and the fall flavors of this gratin would make it a really good Thanksgiving appetizer.