Recipe: Butternut Squash Carpaccio

This recipe comes courtesy of the Bellwether in Studio City. It's a subtle dish that involves a few extra steps (soaking walnuts overnight and blending it into milk) but it's a fun recipe to try if you're looking to elevate your cooking game. It also looks very elegant!

Butternut Squash Carpaccio
Makes two servings

One butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed
One package of 8-ounce burrata

Walnut Milk
1 cup raw walnuts
water, for soaking
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Honey vinaigrette
8 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons honey vinegar (or substitute with apple cider vinegar)
6 tablespoons honey

Carpaccio Assembly (per plate)
1/2 cup (3.5 ounces) butternut squash
1/4 cup (1.5 ounces) burrata
1 tablespoon walnut milk
1 1/2 teaspoons honey vinaigrette
sea salt, for garnish

For the walnut milk: Toast the walnuts until they are dark. Soak them overnight in water, enough to cover. The next day drain the water, and combine sugar, 3/4 cup water, and salt into blender.  Blend on high until fully smooth, then strain.

For the squash: Cut in half, from the "neck" so that the top is the thinner portion of the squash and the bottom is the portion that houses the seeds. Steam the bottom of the squash on high for 10 minutes and the top for 20 minutes until just slightly tender. Once done, allow to cool to room temperature.

For the vinaigrette: Whisk all ingredients together until emulsified. 

To plate the dish, place burrata on the bottom of a bowl and drizzle the walnut milk around it. Thinly slice the squash with a mandoline. Top the burrata with the squash. Season with vinaigrette sparingly, add more to taste. Garnish with sea salt.