Squash Recipe Collection: Desserts & More!

Earlier this week I decided it was time to start training for this leg of Recipe: Impossible.

But Joanne.  You say.  You’re the judge.  You don’t need to train.

Au contraire mon ami.  Absolutely not so.

In fact, this is perhaps the most CRITICAL phase for me, the judge.  It is the phase where I have to hem and haw and stare and taste test.  And make decisions.

I am particularly wary of this last part.  Because.  Well.  As any of my ex-boyfriends will willingly tell you.  I am really bad at making decisions.

So what did I do, you ask?  Well.

First, I hoarded.

I now have approximately twelve winter squash sitting in the root vegetable storage area in our kitchen.    My roommates are not too happy about that.  And neither is my back because it had to transport those twelve winter squash from Whole Foods to my apartment.  The things I do for you people.  I hope you can feel the love.

Next, I ran.  Because have you noticed just how many dessert recipes there are in this grab bag of winter squash madness?  My thighs quivered just reading about them.  And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

And then  in the midst of all this hoarding and exercising and running around like a pumpkin with my vine cut off and my seeds roasted and my pulp turned into a gloriously delicious pumpkin pie.  Sigh.   I realized that none of this was going to help me when it really came down to it.  Because there’s still that whole indecisiveness dilemma.

But then, in a moment of sheer genius (if I do say so myself.  And I do.) I realized that I am the judge.  Which means that I make the rules.  Which means that I have decided that it is up to YOU to decide.  Yes, you heard correctly.  I am leaving my fate in YOUR hands.  So please, vote for the recipe that you think I will most want to eat day in and day out.  The one that I won’t be able to stop eating to the point that it will actually turn my skin orange.  Got it?

• Tri to Cook: Butternut Chocolate Cake w/ Espresso Salted Caramel Sauce
• The Sweet’s Life: Vanilla Spiced Butternut Squash Ice Cream w/ Salted Caramel Sauce
• Nibble Me This: Spiral Sliced Pork Loin Stuffed with Butternut Squash
• Lemongrove Avenue: Pumpkin Wontons  w/ Pumpkin Mascarpone and Vanilla-Maple Glaze
• Kahakai Kitchen: Kabocha Cupcakes w/ Maple-Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting
• Jenna’s Everything Blog: Seared Fennel Salmon w/ Pasilla-Spiced Pumpkin Basmati
• Go Ahead and Snicker: Butternut Cupcakes with Salted Caramel & Maple Brown Butter Icing
• Food Hunter’s Guide: The “Bomb” Cheesecake
• Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice: Squash & Couscous Patties w/ Coconut Peanut Sauce
• Bran Appetit!: Chunky Mocha Mole Chile & Butternut Streusel Casserole

Food Hunter’s Guide got the most votes for their squash cheesecake recipe, as a result getting their choice of three of the following which were the 8 secret ingredients: Ginger Salt, Espresso Salt, Maple Sugar, Coconut Sugar, Madagascar Vanilla Beans, Fennel Pollen, Dried Pasilla Negro Chilies, Dried Aji Panca Chilies and eligibility to compete in the Ridiculously Delicious Challenge.

A big thanks to all of the challengers and especially to Joanne from Eats Well with Others for bringing her delicious personality to this challenge!