Vancouver Magazine
The Best Thing I Ate All Week: Beaucoup Bakery’s Pistachio Raspberry Cake
Live Spot Prawns Are Only Here for a Month—and You Can Try Them at This Festival
Cupcake Thief Breaks Into Vancouver Bakery, Cleans Up Glass, Takes Selfies and Leaves
Succession Is Over: Now It’s Time To Watch the Greatest Show About Wine Ever Made
Our 2023 Sommelier of the Year Franco Michienzi of Elisa Steakhouse Shares His Top Wine Picks
We’ve Scored a Major Discount for VanMag Readers at the Best Wine Festival in Town
Meet OneSpace, the East Vancouver Co-working Space That Offers On-site Childcare
What You Missed at the VMO 2022/23 Season Finale Concert
Protected: Visit the Joint Replacement Center of Scottsdale
Wellness in Whistler-Your Ultimate Early Summer Retreat
Local Summer Getaway: 3 Beautiful Okanagan Farm Tours
Local Summer Getaway: Golfing at Alberta’s Crowsnest Pass
Review: Vancouver-Based Denim Brand Duer Is Making Wide-Legged Jeans You Can Hem Yourself
The Latest in Cutting-Edge Kitchen Appliances
7 Spring-y Shopping Picks, From a Lightweight Jacket to a Fresh Face Cleanser
Alana Peckham’s elegant dishes have won the Best Small Plates category in our Restaurant Awards two years running; she combines French technique and local ingredients with unexpected sides that sometimes nod to her Chinese heritage. Here she discusses her favourite fall vegetable: butternut squash.
How to Buy “Choose a squash that is heavy for its size. A light squash could mean that there is too much air inside, that it’s lost its moisture and started to decay. The skin should be firm and there should be no signs of moulding or spots. Check the bottom; that’s where mould will appear first.” The best squash comes from Gabriel Fernandez of Sapo Bravo farms in Lytton (250-455-2392); he delivers to the restaurant every Friday and sells to the public at the Trout Lake Farmers Market.
How to Cook “Oven roasting is the best way to cook squash: it concentrates the sugars for even caramelization and brings out the flavours.” Cut the squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Season with kosher salt and rub on some olive oil. One hour in a 350º F oven should do the trick (place the squash flesh-side down on parchment paper). The skin will brown, making it easy to peel away, and the flesh should give no resistance when pierced with a knife. One small- to medium-size squash will yield about two cups of cooked squash—perfect for making flan. Purée the roasted squash with whole milk, cream, eggs, grated parmesan, nutmeg, and a pinch of kosher salt. Pour into small, pre-greased ramekins and bake in a hot-water bath. The smooth texture and concentrated sweet flavour pairs nicely with green salad—a beautiful starter to a rich fall meal.
Shop with some of our other chefs.