This is my take on a dish I had while visiting the café at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City. The combination of flavors, sweet and tangy and a mixture of textures go very well together. It makes for a beautiful presentation if you’re having a dinner party. You can place these on an individual dish or on a platter for a buffet. Either way, your guests will be impressed with the presentation.

3 small Zucchini or Gold Bar Squash *see note below
1/2 cup Hazelnuts, toasted and skins removed *see note below
2 Teaspoons Olive Oil, divided
1/2 cup Trumpet Mushrooms or Shiitake, cleaned and chopped small
1 Granny Smith Apple, peeled, 1/2 chopped small (save the other 1/2 for a snack)
4 Tablespoons Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Cherry Tomatoes, cut in half
Hazelnut Oil for finishing drizzle, or substitute a good Olive Oil
Balsamic Glaze for drizzle
Salt & Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the hazelnuts on a small sheet pan and place in the oven for 10 minutes. Put the hazelnuts in the middle of a clean dish towel and rub the skins off. It’s fine if the hazelnuts break into pieces. Cut all 3 squashes in half, put 4 halves aside. Seed the 2 halves that are left and small dice along with the apple and the mushrooms so they are uniform in size. In a 10″ sauté pan, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil over medium/low heat, add the diced squash, apple, and mushrooms and cook down for 4-5 minutes, add a pinch of salt and pepper and put aside in a small bowl. Wipe out the same pan, add the remaining 1 teaspoon of olive oil to the pan, add the squash and 2 tablespoons water to the pan. Set on medium/low heat and cover for 5 minutes. Remove lid and continue to cook the squash just until fork tender, another 3-5 minutes. On individual plates, or on a platter, spread 1 tablespoon of cream cheese at a time to hold each squash from sliding on the plate and for additional flavor. Add the cooked squash, apple and mushroom mixture over each piece of squash. Add the tomato garnish around the plate. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of hazelnut oil and 1 teaspoon of balsamic drizzle over each squash. Add the hazelnuts around the plate. Add a pinch of salt over each squash. If you have a finishing salt such as Himalayan or another type of sea salt, this is the time to use it. Serves 4.

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