Cream of squashes, wild boar ham shavings and hazelnut oil

Method:

Roast squash: cut the squash into cubes and brown quickly in rapeseed oil with Voatsoperifery pepper (wild pepper from Madagascar), salt and a knob of butter to finish. Oven cook for 15 minutes at 150ºC. When ready, dress with a little fine salt (fleur de sel). 

Butternut squash roller: peel the squash and cut into two centimetre wide thin strips. Season with lemon juice, salt, pepper and grape seed oil.  Set aside in the cold.   

Red Kuri squash balls: Peel the squash. Cut into balls using a corer.  Cook the balls in syrup till crunchy: 1 dl water; 50 cl vinegar; Tifda pepper; 80 g sugar; saffron. Let them cool in the syrup. 

Purée: grate all the remains of the squashes together.  Make a thick squash cream with the squash and butternut squash (sauté in butter for some time, gently make creamy). Carefully grind. The purée should be thick. 

Dry ham: cut the ham into slices. Cut triangles. Place between two sheets and dry for 10 minutes at 150ºC. (Longer if necessary.) 

Garnish: some thin pieces of raw pear, milled Voatsiperifery pepper (wild pepper from Madagascar), raw wild boar ham rolls, pickled Brussels sprout leaves, blueberries or little gooseberries.  

Pairing of dishes and wines: the squash goes very well with a 2013 Amigne from Thierry Constantin de Pont de la Morge. A certain sweetness in the attack and a bitter, lengthy finish provide a marvellous complement to this dish.