Gougères Filled with Whipped Butternut Squash, Dill, & Gruyère Cream for the Five Star Makeover Tailgate Party

Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and anxiously hopes for just two things: bread and circuses.

--Juvenal, Satire X

I don't want to be a party pooper, but the fact is, I do not like football, American or otherwise. I don't care for any team sport, really, and Poppa Trix and I don't follow any. For one thing, something about the randomness of madly cheering for a bunch of men just because they happen to be wearing a particular color jersey does not appeal to me. For another, I am a functional introvert,  and as such I am not a big fan of crowd activities. Besides, my contrary streak is a mile wide, and if a bunch of people are going mad over something, I grow suspicious. I am likely to at best ignore it; at worst, despise it. 

So you can imagine the blankness of my mind when this month's 5 Star Makeover challenge - hosted as ever by the lovely and talented Natasha of Five Star Foodie and the always creative Lazaro of Lazaro Cooks! - was announced: Create a gourmet version of your favorite tailgate party food. And I have never even been to a tailgate party.

But then I rallied. This is supposed to be a challenge after all, right? My mind turned towards the ancient Romans and the Circus Maximus, and the phrase "bread and circuses," or "panem et circenses," first coined by Juvenal in Satire X. The phrase refers to the political philosophy of the late Roman Empire: Give the citizenry plenty of cheap food and entertainment, and they would happily abandon their political involvement and relinquish their rights, living only for fleeting distractions, thinking only of  their own pleasure and comfort.

And so, in a rather literal-minded move,  I decided I would make something containing bread (or wheat flour - close enough!)  for my tailgate party. I chose gougères, a delicate, puffy contrast to the brutish, gladiatorial-style  combat that would likely accompany them. And, in a nod to the season (in my hemisphere anyway) I filled them with a whipped butternut squash, dill, and gruyère concoction. A note to purists - yes, I know that gougères by definition contain a French cheese such as gruyère, and  mine did. But I am of the mind that there is no such thing as too much cheese, and so I added more to my filling.

And a word of warning: Because the filling contains (savory) whipped cream, wait until the gougères have cooled to room temperature to pipe it in, or it will melt. Pretty obvious, but I am an impatient creature, and I learned this the hard way.
 

That mishap aside, these are dead simple to make, and they're even good the next day. In a decadent - and fittingly late Roman Empire - move, I had some for breakfast!

For the gougères, I followed Michael Ruhlman's pate a choux ratio: 1 cup water, 1 cup flour, 1/2 cup butter, 4 eggs. He tells you how to do it here.

For the filling, I cut a butternut squash in half, cleaned out the seeds and pulp, drizzled on some olive oil and lightly salt and peppered it, then roasted it, cut side down, at 375 F, along with a whole bulb of garlic, until soft.

When it cooled, I scooped out the flesh and mashed it, along with the entire garlic bulb, some butter, a drizzle of pumpkin seed oil, more salt and pepper, grated gruyère, and a healthy handful of dill. Make the flavors a bit stronger than you'd prefer, as they're going to be muted when you add the cream. Next, I whipped 1/4 cup heavy cream until light and fluffy, and folded  in the squash mixture. To finish the dish, cut the tops off of the gougères and pipe in the filling.Dust with a bit of sweet paprika.

And there you have it: the perfect snack to munch on while watching bloody chariot races (whoops, I mean  football)!

Thanks Natasha and Lazaro - it was a fun challenge, as always. Make sure to check out the round up of dishes on Friday by following the link below. 

hosted by 5 Star Foodie

& Lazaro Cooks!