Monday, November 26, 2007

Butternut squash compote – doce de abóbora (updated post)

Doce de abóbora com coco / Butternut squash compote


One more recipe I cooked especially for Joao - one of his crazy out of the blue requests. :)

I had never made butternut squash compote before – we call it doce de abóbora and it’s such a traditional dessert here (not to mention easy to find) I guess I just took it for granted.
Luckily Google was there for me. I found many, many different recipes online but the minute I saw one of my dear friend Clarice’s post among the other links I knew my search was over.
After reading it, I found out she had gotten the recipe from another talented blogger friend of ours, Silvia – one more reason for me to try it. What a wonderful surprise it was: the compote was absolutely delicious!

While I was in the kitchen cooking the butternut squash, Joao kept telling me from the living room “wow, it already smells like doce de abóbora!”.
I hadn’t eaten this sweet in many, many years and honestly I can’t remember eating one as good as the one I made – I just hope my grandmother doesn’t read this! :)

aaWeekendHerbBlogging

This is my entry for the Weekend Herb Blogging, this time hosted by its own creator, the adorable Kalyn, from Kalyn’s Kitchen.

UPDATE: during these quarantine days I have been making this recipe quite often. It goes great with cheese and also for dessert. We like to have cheese and wine dinner on Friday nights, and this compote is a great addition to the chese board.

Butternut squash compote – doce de abóbora

Butternut squash compote – doce de abóbora

500g butternut squash – peel it and remove the seeds before measuring – cut in 2cm cubes
250g sugar
5-6 cloves
½ cup unsweetened desiccated coconut

Place the butternut squash, sugar and cloves in heavy-bottom saucepan and mix well; cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the squash is soft.
After it is cooked and tender, mash it with a potato masher until you get an even looking paste – there will be a bit of liquid still.
Keep cooking until the liquid is gone – make sure you stir occasionally so the compote won’t stick to the pan. It takes a while for this to happen, but it is worth it, I promise. :)
Remove from heat, mix in the coconut and set aside to cool. Keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Serve it on its own – it also goes really well with soft flavored cheeses.

34 comments:

Kalyn Denny said...

So interesting and so delicious sounding. I don't think I've ever tasted anything like this, but it sounds fantastic. I especially like the addition of coconut.

Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) said...

Another wonderful recipe that's completely new to me. Squash and coconut -- yum!

Peter M said...

Patricia, this compote is new to me and looks & sounds like a lovely dessert.

New stuff like this keeps me coming back to your blog, thanks!

Nic said...

Wow! I just discovered butternut squash this year and I love it. This recipe really looks interesting - you have some great ideas Patricia!

Anonymous said...

Never heard of butternut squash before...but if it has sugar in it I'm bound to love it ;)

Graeme said...

It looks fantastic, Patricia.

I'll bet it'd be great spread onto the bottom of the pastry in something like an Apple Tart.

Anh said...

*clap clap*. This does sound fantastic!

Anonymous said...

I've never seen anything like it. But it looks a little like pineapple jam here in Singapore. Great in pastry!

test it comm said...

This sounds really interesting and looks good.

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

Patricia - I have never heard of making a compote with butternut squash, but this sounds so delicious! And I love the idea of combining it with soft cheeses!

Manggy said...

Wow, the addition of coconut + squash is totally inspired. I was looking for the spice and then I saw it-- cloves-- of course! :)

Anonymous said...

Even though this is my first time to hear of it, this sounds like something I would love! Looks so yummy Patricia :)

Deborah said...

I have never heard of this before, but it sounds amazing!!

Anonymous said...

This sounds really unusual and delicious!

Carla said...

Very interesting recipe. I'll have to try this next time I buy butternut squash :)

Anonymous said...

I never heard of such a use for butternut squash but it surely sound and look yummy! I bet it's pretty addictive stuff! :-)

Sara, Ms Adventures in Italy said...

I love butternut squash but I've never thought to have it this sweet...this sounds really interesting!

Anonymous said...

That does sound interesting! I just noticed you have an english and a spanish (or portuguese?) version of your blog - how very impressive!!!

Anonymous said...

That literally has me drooling.

Rachael Narins said...

Oh my gosh, I have never heard of such a divine sounding dessert. I cannot wait to try it! Thank you!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Kalyn, I'm so glad you liked it, sweetie!

Lydia, I really like to show you the recipes we cook here in Brazil. This compote is extremely common in Minas Gerais, ask your friend if he has tried it.

Peter, thank you, my friend! I'm glad to know that and I do hope to see you around here always!

Nic, thank you, darling! What a nice compliment.

Linda, loads of sugar, sweetie. :)

Graeme, that idea sounds amazing! Gotta try it soon.

Anh, tks, darling!

Farhan, I bet that pineapple ham would make me crazy, I love pineapple!

Kevin, thank you!

T.W., it is a very nice combination of flavors.

Manggy, the cloves are essential here, my friend.

Joey, thank you, sweetie!

Deb, we love it here in most parts of Brazil.

Dana, thank you!

Carla, I would love you to try it, dear!

Zen Chef, tks for stopping by! And you are so right - addictive, indeed! Joao ate so much I thought he was gonna be sick. :)

Sara, thank you! I'm glad you stopped by.

Sabra, I have an English and a Portuguese version. I live in Brazil and Portuguese is my native language. Thank you for your comment, it made my day! :)

Sally, I think you would like it.

Rachael, it's really simple, you just need a few ingredients and you are good to go. Just plan ahead because it takes a while to cook completely.

Cynthia said...

What a great idea!

pam said...

Patricia, I have never heard of this! I can't wait to try it! It seems like a nice change from all the butternut squash soup recipes.

Katerina said...

How terribly brilliant of you! I love the idea of serving this with soft strong cheeses it is perfect for this season!

Nora B. said...

Hi Patricia,
I never thought that squash can be made into a compote! This looks like a winner. We have butternut squash all year round, so I have no excuse not to try it :-)

Patricia Scarpin said...

Cynthia, thank you!

Pam, I love it that we can make both savory and sweet dishes with butternut squash.

Katerina, thank you! I think you would like it a lot!

Nora, isn't it a good idea? I would love to hear your opinion about it!

Sophie said...

How nice to see a recipe that I have never seen anything similar too before! It sounds gorgeous.

Laurie Constantino said...

Such an interesting dish! I've had similar pumpkin sweets, but never with coconut. Do you think all kinds of winter squash could be substituted for the butternut??

Helene said...

Well, I agree with Peter, sounds lovely for a dessert, will have to try since my daughter has fallen in love with pumpkin this year, so I mark it and let you know! :)

Sara said...

Sounds brilliant! I'd love to try this.

Patricia Scarpin said...

Sophie, thank you, darling!

Laurie, I think you can use other kinds of pumpkins and such - a friend of mine made with kabocha and it was wonderful!

Helene, tks for stopping by!

Sara, tks, dear!

Lis said...

Oh Patricia - I can't tell you how good that looks and sounds! This will definitely go on my MUST MAKE WILL NOT GET LOST IN PILE recipes! =)

xoxo

Sara said...

I'm planning to make this tonight! One question though: do you just mix the squash, sugar, and cloves and cook like that? I was wondering if you need to add any liquid or if the squash provides enough liquid. Thanks!

Patricia Scarpin said...

Sara, no liquids are necessary - just mix it all in the saucepan and cook accordingly to the recipe. Hope you like it!

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