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Butternut Squash and Roasted Garlic-Gruyère Gratin

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Brad Gobright, Renowned US Rock Climber, Falls to His Death in Mexico

Record-breaking California mountain climber, Brad Gobright, has died after plunging at least 600-feet while descending the side of a Mexican cliff face, civil defense officials in northern Mexico confirmed. Gobright, 31, was rappelling with a 260-foot rope on the El Potrero Chico peak in the northern state of Nuevo Leon with fellow climber Aidan Jacobson, 26, at the time of his fatal fall on Wednesday. Gobright was renowned for being an accomplished free solo climber, or climbing without safety gear. The method requires two climbers to act as counterweights during a descent using opposite ends of the rope, which is attached to an anchor. The technique is often described as one of the leading causes of deaths in climbing. However, Gobright and Jacobson reportedly chose not to tie knots on…

Butternut squash and roasted garlic-Gruyère gratin. (Jacquelyn Dodd)

Why should potatoes have all the fun? You can gratin anything! Butternut squash, with its inherent sweetness and lovely, nutty flavor, makes the perfect subject to roast all covered in cheese.

Serves 4

  • 1 head garlic
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch-thick half-moons
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 large white onion, sliced
  • 4 large fresh sage leaves, minced
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1/2 cup reduced-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1/3 cup winter ale
  • 1 cup shredded Gruyère
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Remove most of the outer papery skin from the head of garlic. Slice off the top 1/2 inch or so to expose the tips of all the cloves while keeping the head intact. Place the head on a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with the olive oil and close the foil tightly around the garlic.

Place the wrapped garlic in a small baking dish and roast until softened, about 40 minutes. Remove the garlic from the oven and set it aside, still wrapped, to cool. Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

Meanwhile, lay the butternut squash slices in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish in two tight layers, one on top of the other.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion slices and cook, stirring occasionally, until they start to caramelize, about 20 minutes. Stir in the sage and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt.

Once the garlic has cooled enough to handle, unwrap and squeeze the head over the saucepan so that the soft cloves drop in. Discard the rest of the head.

Add the cornstarch and stir to combine. Stir in the broth and beer. Add half of the Gruyère, about 2 tablespoons at a time, stirring until combined before adding more.

Pour the mixture over the squash, then top with the remaining Gruyère. Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt and the pepper.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake the squash for 30 minutes or until a fork easily pierces its flesh. Serve warm. 

Reprinted with permission from “Lush: A Season-by-Season Celebration of Craft Beer and Produce” by Jacquelyn Dodd, Agate Surrey, October 2019.

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Taliban ‘Ready to Restart’ Peace Talks After Trump’s Afghanistan Visit

Following a surprise by President Donald Trump to visit troops, the Taliban said Friday they are ready to restart peace talks with the United States amid the 18-year-long conflict in Afghanistan. “The Taliban wants to make a deal. We’ll see if they want to make a deal. It’s got to be a real deal, but we’ll see,” Trump said after he arrived in Afghanistan on Thanksgiving. The Taliban, he said, only want to resume peace talks because American troops are “doing a great job” in the country. President Donald Trump and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani speak to American soldiers during a surprise Thanksgiving day visit at Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan on Nov. 28, 2019. (Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images)“That’s the only reason they want to make a deal. So I…

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