These savory turnovers are a perfect appetizer for your thanksgiving meal. They're also a great addition to any Fall or Winter Brunch! Keep them in the freezer and bake when needed!
1medium Kabocha squash, quartered and seeds/pulp discarded
olive oil
kosher salt
FOR THE FILLING
4smallshallots, thinly sliced
1tbspunsalted butter
1tspolive oil
4sprigsfresh thyme, leaves removed off stems
1 1/2tsptarragon vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
1tspkosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
fresh black pepper
FOR MAKING THE BOUREKAS
2sheetsfrozen puff pastry thawed in fridge, you can also find pre-cut squares which are perfect for this
1/2lbHavarti cheese, sliced is fine but shredded is best
1egg, beaten with a splash of water
flakey salt
thyme leaves for garnish
Instructions
FOR ROASTING THE SQUASH
Pre-heat oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and place the squash quarters on it with the skin side down.
Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the squash and season with kosher salt.
Roast for 1 1/2 hours. It will be extremely soft. Let cool to room temp before working with it.
FOR THE FILLING
Heat the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat in a sauté pan.
Add the shallots, thyme, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-6 minutes tossing occasionally until the shallots are softened and the thyme is fragrant. Turn the heat off.
Scoop out the kabocha flesh into a large bowl and discard the skins.
Transfer the shallot mixture into the bowl and add the vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix together and taste for seasoning. Adjust as necessary.
FOR THE BOUREKAS
Prepare 2 parchment lined baking sheets. Unroll one of your puff pastry sheets. I leave it on that plastic or parchment it comes on to prevent it from sticking to the work surface. Cut the sheet into 6 squares for the large pockets or 12 for the mini pockets.
Place pieces of the Havarti onto the squares leaving about 1/3″ border around the edge of the puff pastry.
Spoon about 1 – 1 1/2 TB of squash mixture into the middle of each square. For the mini’s, use about 2 tsp of filling for each.
Brush the egg wash all around the edge of the puff pastry, fold them in half to form a triangle and pinch closed. You can use a fork to really seal them.
Brush the tops and the sides with the egg wash, sprinkle with thyme leaves and Maldon Salt.
Transfer them to the baking sheet. Do the same with the second sheet of puff pastry.
At this point, you can freeze them. Once they are rock hard you can transfer them to ziplock bags until your ready to bake them. No need to defrost, just give them an extra few minutes in the oven if necessary.
BAKING
Pre-heat oven to 425˚F. Bake on the parchment lined baking sheets, spaced about 1" apart, for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.
Notes
If you can't find Kabocha Squash you can use Butternut Squash as well.These are great at room temperature so feel free to bake them and have them out!These will keep un-baked and in a zip-top bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. Make now bake later! Super easy make ahead appetizer