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1
Preheat the oven to 400F.
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2
Cut the squash in half lengthwise and place on a baking sheet, cut side up.
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3
(Dont remove the seeds yet; they give extra flavor.)
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4
Cover with foil, and roast about 1 hour, until very tender.
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5
Let cool 10 minutes, and then scoop out the seeds and discard them.
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6
Puree the warm squash through a ricer or food mill and measure out 1 1/2 cups.
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7
(You can reheat any leftover puree, season it with salt, pepper, and butter, and eat it for dinner!)
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8
Turn the oven down to 350F.
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9
Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 10-inch round cake pan.
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10
Brush the bottom of the pan with a little butter, and then line it with the paper.
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11
Place the 8 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan.
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12
Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise down the center, and use a paring knife to scrape the seeds and pulp onto the butter.
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13
To make sure not to lose any of the seeds, run your vanilla-coated knife through the butter (dont use your fingers, because the seeds will stick to them).
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14
Add the vanilla pod to the pan, and cook the butter over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the butter browns and smells nutty.
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15
Remove the vanilla pod and discard.
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16
Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a large bowl.
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17
Add the salt.
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18
Make a well in the center.
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19
In another large bowl, whisk the reserved 1 1/2 cups squash puree, milk, a 1/4 cup cream, eggs, and honey to combine.
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20
Pour the liquid into the well in the dry ingredients, and whisk until incorporated.
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21
Stir in the brown butter, scraping with a rubber spatula to make sure you get all the brown bits from the pan.
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22
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 25 minutes, then remove the cake from the oven and sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top.
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23
Bake the cake another 45 minutes, until the topping is crisp and the cake has set.
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24
(The center of the cake will still be somewhat soft and wont pass the toothpick test.)
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25
Cool the cake on a rack for at least 15 minutes.
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26
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip 1 cup cream to soft peaks.
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27
Cut six slices from the cake and serve with scoops of maple ice cream and dollops of whipped cream.
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28
Preheat the oven to 375F.
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29
Spread the pecans on a baking sheet, and toast them 8 to 10 minutes, until they darken slightly and smell nutty.
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30
When the nuts have cooled, chop them coarsely.
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31
Toss the nuts with the oil and salt.
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32
In a food processor, pulse the butter, sugars, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg until just combined.
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33
Remove to a bowl, stir in the salted pecans, and chill until ready to use.
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34
Bring the milk and cream to a boil over medium heat.
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35
Turn off the heat and cover.
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36
Whisk the egg yolks and maple sugar together in a bowl.
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37
Whisk a few tablespoons of the warm cream mixture into the yolks to temper them.
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38
Slowly, add another 1/4 cup or so of the warm cream, whisking continuously.
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39
At this point you can add the rest of the cream mixture in a slow steady stream, whisking all the time.
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40
Pour the mixture back into the pot, and return it to the stove.
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41
Cook the custard over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently and using a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan.
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42
The custard will thicken, and when its done will coat the back of the spatula.
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43
Strain the mixture, stir in the maple syrup, and chill at least 2 hours in the refrigerator.
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44
Process in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions.
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45
You can roast the squash and make the streusel a day ahead of time.
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46
Be sure to drain the squash after its roasted and just before using it; it often continues to give off water.
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47
Ive been told you can substitute canned pumpkin in this recipe.
