Ingredients
Pastry
¾ cup all purpose flour (plus more to dust)
¼ cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp quick cook polenta
1 tbsp finely chopped sage leaves (about 6 leaves)
1 ½ tsp superfine sugar
¾ tsp flaked sea salt
¼ tsp black petter
4 tsp olive oil
6 tbsp unsalted butter (fridge cold and cut into ½ inch cubes)
1 small butternut squash, skin on, seeded and sliced into ½ inch half-moons (1 ½ lb)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch rounds
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more to drizzle
2 tbsp finely chopped sage leaves, plus whole leaves to serve
2 tsp caraway seeds, toasted and roughly crushed
Table salt & black pepper
1 head of garlic, top fifth cut off to expose the cloves
1 large shallot, skin on, top trimmed to expose the shallot
2-3 oranges: finely sezt to get 1 ½ tsp, then juice to get ⅔ cup
3 tbsp maple syrup
½ cup plus 1 tbsp mascarpone
1 egg, beaten
DIRECTIONS
The hyper-flaky pastry, which is rich from the butter and crunchy from the polenta, is the star here. Double it and keep half in the freezer, ready to use in all sorts of savory bakes.
For the pastry: Mix together both flours, the polenta, sage, sugar, salt, pepper and the olive oil in a large bowl. Add the butter and incorporate by lightly squashing each cube between your fingers. Don’t overwork; you want chunks throughout the dough. Add the water and use your hands to gather the dough together – it will be quite sticky. Transfer to a well-floured work surface and roll into an 11 x 7 inch rectangle, dusting the rolling pin, surface and pastry as you go. Fold the longer ends toward each other so they meet in the center and roll out once. Fold the shorter ends the same way, roll out once, then fold in half to make a square. Form the dough into a 5 ½ inch circle, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Toss the squash and carrots with the 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp of the chopped sage, and the caraway seeds, 1 tsp salt, and plenty of pepper. Spread out on the prepared baking sheets. Drizzle the garlic head and shallot with a little iol, wrap individually in aluminum foil, and add to the sheets. Roast the squash and carrots for 25 minutes, or until golden brown, and remove from the oven. Continue to roast the garlic and shallot for 15 minutes more, then set aside. When cool enough to handle, squeeze the garlic and shallot from their papery skins and finely chop.
Decrease the oven temperature to 450F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Transfer the dough to a well-floured surface and roll out to a 12 inch circle, dusting your rolling pin as you go. Gently lift the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Put the orange juice and maple syrup into a small saucepan on medium-high heat and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the liquid reduces to the consistency of a thickened, stickley maple syrup.
Put the mascarpone into a bowl with the chopped garlic and shallot, orange zest, and remaining 1 tbsp chopped sage. Season with a pinch of salt and plenty of pepper and stir everything together well.
Spread the mascarpone mixture over the dough, leaving a 1 ½ inch rim around the edge. Cover with the squash and carrots, then drizzle with the orange syrup. Fold the pastry up and over the vegetables, brush the pastry with the egg, and bake for 30 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool for 20 minutes, then scatter with sage leaves before serving.