Kabocha and Havarti Bourekas

Step 1

Pre-heat oven to 400˚F. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and place the squash quarters on it with the skin side down.

Step 2

Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the squash and season with kosher salt.

Step 3

Roast for 1 1/2 hours. It will be extremely soft. Let cool to room temp before working with it.

Step 4

Heat the butter and olive oil over medium-low heat in a sauté pan.

Step 5

Add the shallots, thyme, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 5-6 minutes tossing occasionally until the shallots are softened and the thyme is fragrant. Turn the heat off.

Step 6

Scoop out the kabocha flesh into a large bowl and discard the skins.

Step 7

Transfer the shallot mixture into the bowl and add the vinegar, salt, and pepper. Mix together and taste for seasoning. Adjust as necessary.

Step 8

Prepare 2 parchment lined baking sheets. Unroll one of your puff pastry sheets. I leave it on that plastic or parchment it comes on to prevent it from sticking to the work surface. Cut the sheet into 6 squares for the large pockets or 12 for the mini pockets.

Step 9

Place pieces of the Havarti onto the squares leaving about 1/3″ border around the edge of the puff pastry.

Step 10

Spoon about 1 – 1 1/2 TB of squash mixture into the middle of each square. For the mini’s, use about 2 tsp of filling for each.

Step 11

Brush the egg wash all around the edge of the puff pastry, fold them in half to form a triangle and pinch closed. You can use a fork to really seal them.

Step 12

Brush the tops and the sides with the egg wash, sprinkle with thyme leaves and Maldon Salt.

Step 13

Transfer them to the baking sheet. Do the same with the second sheet of puff pastry.

Step 14

At this point, you can freeze them. Once they are rock hard you can transfer them to ziplock bags until your ready to bake them. No need to defrost, just give them an extra few minutes in the oven if necessary.

Step 15

Pre-heat oven to 425˚F. Bake on the parchment lined baking sheets, spaced about 1" apart, for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown and puffy.