THE ORIGINAL ‘RECEIPT’

SCALLOPED SQUASH.  –  Boil and mash the squash in the customary way and let it cool;  beat the yelks of two eggs, and when the squash is nearly cold, whip these into it, with three table-spoonfuls of milk, one of butter rolled into flour and melted into the milk;  pepper and salt to taste;  pour into a buttered bake-dish, cover with fine crumbs, and bake to a light brown in a quick oven.  To be eaten hot.

~The Canadian Home Cook Book : 739 Valuable Recipes : Breakfast Dishes, Soups, Meats and Poultry … s.n., 1900.

THE UPDATED RECIPE

• 1 squash, of sufficient size to yield 2½ cups of mashed, cooked squash (I used Butternut Squash…)
• ½ c. finely grated bread crumbs
• 1 ½ tsp. butter
• 2 egg yolks, beaten
• 1 Tb. butter
• 2 tsp. all-purpose flour
• 3 Tb. milk
• ½ tsp. salt
• a generous dash of white pepper.

Peel and cut the squash into pieces, and boil it gently in lightly salted water until tender;  drain and mash, and measure approximately 2 ½ cups of the squash.

Allow the squash to cool, while preparing the remaining ingredients.

Preheat oven to 375F. 

Grease a shallow, oven-proof baking dish with butter.

In a frying pan, using 1 ½ teaspoons of butter, sauté the bread crumbs, over medium heat, until golden;  stir continually to achieve an even colour.

Beat the egg yolks with a whisk until they are light and lemon-coloured.

Blend the flour into the tablespoon of butter to form a paste;  then combine this with the milk in a small pan, and stir over low heat until the mixture is smooth.

When the squash is lukewarm, add the beaten yolks to it, and beat them in thoroughly.

Add the warm milk mixture, and the salt and pepper, and beat with a whisk, until everything is well-incorporated.  

Spoon the mixture into the buttered baking-dish, and smooth the surface with a broad-bladed knife.  

Sprinkle the buttered crumbs evenly over the surface.

Bake at 375F for approximately 20 to 25 minutes, until the top is golden brown.

Serve piping hot.

Yield:  approximately 5 to 6 servings.

This dish has an attractive golden appearance, and a light, mellow texture, and of course, that pronounced squash flavour, so particularly welcome in Fall and Winter.

Hubbard Squash, or other varieties of squash, may be used in the preparation of Scalloped Squash.

A note from Patricia: I love Fall for the fruits and vegetables. And the sweet and nutty flavour of butternut squash is a favourite of mine this time of year. So I went with the lovely butternut as my choice of squash for this recipe, and loved that this recipe was so simple and had a crispy breadcrumb topping. I used gluten-free bread to make the breadcrumbs, and subbed 1:1 gluten-free flour for the all-purpose flour in the recipe. It was the perfect side dish for some roasted chicken, was naturally sweet, and the crumb topping gave it a buttery little crunch.

My aunt had suggested a Hubbard Squash in her updated recipe, which I’d never heard of before. While having dinner with my Morton cousins on the weekend and enjoying some Buttercup Squash from Marion’s fantastic garden, I asked about the Hubbard Squash. Marion indicated that it’s a very large squash, and virtually impossible to cut into, and John and Marion both spoke about relatives throwing the squash onto the front stoop or chucking it down concrete steps in order to smash it open to scoop out the insides. However, it’s supposed to be delicious, so maybe a Hubbard is worth the effort?

Squashes are of various kinds and qualities, and are boiled green, like the vegetable-marrow, or mashed like turnips, with milk and pepper and salt.  Squashes, when ripe, are made into pies, in the same manner as pumpkins.

~Traill, C.P. The Female Emigrant’s Guide, and Hints on Canadian Housekeeping (Part II). Toronto, C.W.: Sold by Maclear and Company, 1854.