Butternut Squash Tart with Popcorn Crust and Apricot Glaze and Rosemary Butternut Hash Browns

When I saw Isa's basket of ingredients for Vegan MoFo Chopped Brunch I could not resist participating.  Butternut squash.  Popcorn.  Rosemary.  Apricot preserves.  All things good, pretty much.

These ingredients left themselves open to so many options, even with the popcorn.  I settled on a butternut tart with popcorn crust and apricot glaze and a side of butternut hash browns.  Before I could do anything I had to roast my squash.  I set aside one quarter un-roasted for the hash browns.  I also decided I needed rosemary infused butter, so I got my Earth Balance buttery spread simmering with fresh rosemary and when it had simmered long enough I strained it and set it in the fridge to solidify.

While my squash finished roasting I prepared the popcorn crust.  I made approximately three cups of unsalted air popped popcorn and used my immersion blender to grind the popcorn and make a big mess in my kitchen.  I mixed the ground popcorn with rosemary, 5-6 tablespoons of rosemary infused butter, 1-2 tablespoons of tapioca flour and a dash of salt.  I then pressed the mixture into the tart pan and baked it for 10 minutes.

While that was baking, I scooped out my roasted squash and mashed it with maple syrup, rosemary, about a quarter cup of orange juice to make it a bit sunny, a small amount of thyme and marjoram, 2 tablespoons or so of tapioca flour, and a dash of salt.  I then poured this into the baked tart crust and baked it at 350* for 40 minutes.

The next step was the apricot glaze.  I reduced the apricot preserves with 1-2 tablespoons of triple sec for about 10 minutes.  Once the tart was finished, I spread the glaze over it and baked for an additional 5 minutes.  After that I let the tart chill over night.

For the butternut hash browns I grated a quarter of my squash raw and mixed that with 2-3 tablespoons of tapioca flour, rosemary, and 1-2 teaspoons of salt.  About 10 minutes before serving I fried up the hash browns over medium heat in canola oil until crispy and cooked through.

I served the tart cold with hot hash browns and a cup of OJ.  Delicious.