I am on a full-out squash kick lately. After last week’s roasted squash crème brûlée, I hope you’ll indulge me in one more squash recipe. This one brings together the sweetness of delicata squash and the festive flavour of fresh sage in a tender buttery biscuit. The squash gives a lovely golden hue to these biscuits which are flecked with tiny pieces of chopped sage.

Squash and sage make a mighty tasty pair, it must be said.

Delicata is a lesser-known squash, though I don’t understand why because in my opinion, its flavor and texture is unparalleled. It’s well-worth seeking it out and getting acquainted with it!

It also goes by the name of sweet potato squash and it is rich, sweet, and creamy.

This recipe is inspired by the sweet potato biscuits in Kinfolk’s new cookbook, The Kinfolk Table, which is a delightful visual feast, packed with enticing recipes. Since I had plenty of delicatas on hand, I thought I would use them instead of the sweet potato and add a little fresh sage to make a Thanksgiving-themed biscuit that is a great accompaniment to a seasonal soup or festive dinner. I also followed some useful biscuit-making tips from my fellow PBS Food blogger, Adrianna of A Cozy Kitchen, who is an expert biscuit-baker.

I’m quite certain these biscuits would be equally delicious if made with another variety of squash, or sweet potato. But if you can get your hands on some delicata squash, I do recommend it. Enjoy!

Delicata Squash and Sage Biscuits

This delicata squash and sage biscuits from Kitchen Vignettes are tender and buttery with a lovely golden hue for your Fall meal especially the Thanksgiving table.

Ingredients

• 1 medium-small delicata squash (1/2 cup squash purée)
• 2 cups unbleached white flour
• 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2 Tbsp. cane sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled
• 1 small bunch of fresh sage (1 1/2 tsp. chopped and 10 whole leaves for garnish)
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• For the egg wash:
• 1 small egg
• 1 Tbsp. milk

Directions

1. Slice the delicata squash in half, lengthwise. Remove all the seeds and stringy pulp around the seeds. Place the squash halves cut-side facing down on a baking sheet. Roast in a 400F oven for about 30 minutes or until a knife pierces the flesh like soft butter. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a bit. Scoop out the roasted flesh and discard the skins. Mash by hand with a potato masher, or if you wish, purée with a hand blender until smooth. Measure out 1/2 cup of squash purée. Chill the purée in the fridge.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Using a box grater, grate the cold butter into the flour mixture. Place this mixture in the freezer while you prepare the wet ingredients (about 5 to 10 minutes).
3. In another bowl, mix the chilled cream, squash purée, and finely chopped sage. Whisk together until smooth. In another smaller bowl, make the egg wash by beating the egg and 1 Tbsp. of milk together.
4. Remove the dry ingredients from the freezer. With a pastry cutter or your hands, make sure the grated butter is fully incorporated into the flour (it should look like bread crumbs). Gently add the squash and cream mixture to the dry ingredients, stirring just until the dough starts to come together. Using your hands, lightly knead the dough in the bowl, until uniform, but avoiding overhandling it.
5. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour and either roll or simply press the dough out to 3/4 inch thickness. Using a 2 1/2 inch round or square cookie cutter, cut out the biscuits. Brush the tops with egg wash and gently press a whole sage leaf on top of each biscuit. Place on a lightly buttered baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in a 400F oven, until golden on top. Transfer the biscuits to a cooling rack and serve warm.

Tips/Techniques

For best results, make sure your baking powder and soda are fresh. (Check the expiry date on your containers). Handle the biscuit dough as little as possible.

Yield: 10-12 biscuits

Aube Giroux is a food writer and filmmaker who shares her love of cooking on her farm-to-table blog, Kitchen Vignettes.

Aube is a passionate organic gardener and home cook who likes to share the stories of how food gets to our dinner plates. Her work has been shown on television and at international film festivals. Her web series was nominated for a 2014 James Beard Award. In 2012, she was the recipient of Saveur Magazine’s Best Food Blog award in the video category.