Doce de Abóbora (Brazilian Squash Compote)
I grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, where fall isn’t real. Instead, my family had “imaginary fall,” a time of year when we’d turn down the AC and burn a few “Autumn Breeze” candles to set the mood. However, the best part of all this meteorological make-believe was doce de abóbora. Our dad would make a big batch of this Brazilian squash dessert, and the house would smell like melted sugar and clove. We’d pick at the sweet compote for days, spoonful by spoonful, until we finally made contact with the bottom of the tub. And he never made a second batch. It’s not that he didn’t want to make more, but more so that we’d never ask. Perhaps that was this dessert’s purpose—to serve as a marker, a tradition that announced a seasonal shift, even if it was still 90 degrees outside. Like imaginary fall, it was a once-a-year kind of thing.
This simple dessert is delicious on its own and can be eaten warm or cold. It’s also not too far off from pumpkin pie in flavor but with the gooey texture of pecan pie filling. It’s perfect with fresh cheese (or really any cheese) and a seasonal replacement for the standard strawberry jam you spread on your toast every morning. Just some jam for thought.
INGREDIENTS:
Butternut Squash
Granulated Sugar
Cloves
Cinnamon Sticks
Shredded, unsweetened coconut
Water
INSTRUCTIONS:
Halve and peel your butternut squash. Scoop out the seeds and fibrous strands with a spoon.
Cut squash into small cubes, about the size of a large grape.
Weigh your squash in grams on a food scale. Add squash to a Dutch oven or deep nonstick sauce pan.
Add half the weight in sugar. (100g of cubed squash = 50g of sugar.)
Add cloves and cinnamon sticks to your liking. Six cloves and 2 cinnamon sticks are enough to flavor 100g of squash.
Add a tiny bit of water to get things going. 1/3 cup of water should be enough for 100g of squash.
Gently mix ingredients and bring everything to a boil. Once sugar melts, immediately turn heat to low and gently simmer. You should notice the squash releasing a ton of water. (That’s normal.)
Continue to simmer and stir occasionally until liquid has reduced, the squash is noticeably tender, and compote thickens. Cooking times will vary depending on how much squash you’re candying. 100 grams of squash should cook down in roughly 20-30 minutes. Chill, have a coffee, this is the easy part.
Once liquid has reduced and the squash is dark and soft, remove the cinnamon sticks with tongs. Traditionally, the cloves are left in, even though no one wants to eat them.
Break apart squash with a spoon or potato masher until you reach your desired texture. Turn off the heat and add dried coconut. 1/10 of the weight in squash is how much coconut you should add. (100g of squash = 10g of dried coconut.)
Cover for 10 minutes to allow coconut to soften from the residual heat.
Serve warm or allow to fully cool. Eat with a spoon, on cheese, or on toast.