A crumble does not have to be a dessert. Maison Bordier builds this one on mashed pumpkin, layers fresh goat cheese over it, and finishes with a parmesan topping rubbed together with Espelette pepper butter. It bakes in individual ramekins and eats as a first course or a light supper. Reckon on around 15 minutes of simmering, then 15 minutes in the oven.
At a glance
- Difficulty: Medium
- Serves: 4, in individual ramekins
- Active time: About 20 minutes, our estimate. Bordier does not state one
- Cook: 15 minutes simmering plus 15 minutes baking at 180°C, 350°F. Bordier's header lists 15 minutes total, which does not cover both stages
- Key ingredient: 100 g Bordier Espelette Pepper Butter
Why this works
Pumpkin is sweet and wet, and left to itself it makes a dull, one-note puree. This recipe attacks that problem from two directions. The fresh goat cheese brings acidity, which cuts the sugar. The Espelette pepper butter brings salt and a low, fruity heat that gives the dish a finish it would otherwise lack. Bordier introduced this butter in 2008 after Jean-Yves Bordier met a producer of the AOP pepper in the Basque country, and it is AOP Espelette worked into salted butter. The heat arrives late and stays mild, which is exactly right against something as gentle as squash.
The topping is the other half of the argument. Rubbing softened butter into flour and parmesan gives you loose, sandy crumbs rather than a paste, and those crumbs bake into separate crisp fragments instead of a single sheet. Bordier butter is churned by hand in Brittany on a traditional wooden malaxeur and carries a high butterfat content, so the crumbs brown properly rather than drying out. The contrast between that crisp lid and the soft puree underneath is the entire point of the dish.
Ingredients
Serves 4. Metric is what Bordier specifies, so treat it as the accurate column.
| Ingredient | Metric | US |
|---|---|---|
| Bordier Espelette Pepper Butter | 100 g | 3 1/2 oz, about 7 tbsp |
| Flour | 70 g | About 1/2 cup |
| Grated parmesan | 80 g | About 2 3/4 oz, roughly 3/4 cup grated |
| Pumpkin, ready to cook | 1 kg | 2.2 lb |
| Sweet onion | 1 | 1 |
| Bay leaf | 1 | 1 |
| Fresh goat cheese | 70 g | About 2 1/2 oz |
| Salt and pepper | To taste | To taste |
| Ground Espelette pepper | A pinch | A pinch |
Method
Step 1: Cook the pumpkin
Wash, peel, and cut the pumpkin into small cubes. Slice the onion finely and sweat it in a pot with the butter, then add the cubed pumpkin. Sauté for a few minutes, cover with water, and add a pinch of salt, some pepper, and the bay leaf. Simmer for 15 minutes, until the pumpkin is fully tender.
Step 2: Mash and make the crumble
Drain the pumpkin, pull out the bay leaf, and mash it coarsely. Taste and adjust the seasoning. In a large bowl, rub the softened butter into the flour and grated parmesan until it forms loose crumbs. Heat the oven to 180°C, 350°F.
Step 3: Assemble and bake
Divide the mash between 4 ramekins, scatter the fresh goat cheese over the top, then cover with the crumble mixture. Bake for 15 minutes, until the topping is golden brown.
Tips from our kitchen
- Bordier does not split the 100 g of butter between the two uses. The same 100 g has to sweat the onion and bind the crumble. Our guidance is to use about 20 g for the pan and keep the remaining 80 g for the topping, where the texture actually depends on it.
- Barely cover the pumpkin with water. The instruction says to cover it, but the more water you add, the more you have to drain off and the wetter the mash. Add just enough to come level with the cubes.
- Drain hard, then let it steam dry. Leave the drained pumpkin in the colander for a couple of minutes before mashing. A wet puree will soak into the crumble from below and turn it to paste in the oven.
- Keep the crumble butter cool, not warm. Softened means pliable, not melted. If the butter is too warm the mixture clumps into a dough and bakes as a solid crust. Chill the bowl for ten minutes if the kitchen is hot.
- Mash coarsely, on purpose. A blender turns pumpkin into a smooth, slack puree. Bordier calls for a rough mash, and the lumps give the finished dish something to bite on.
- The two cook times both apply. Bordier's header says 15 minutes, but that only covers the simmering. Add the 15 minutes of baking on top. That reading is ours, based on the method as written.
How to serve it
Bring the ramekins to the table straight from the oven, on plates, and let people break the crust themselves. It works as a starter before roast chicken or as the centerpiece of a vegetarian supper with a sharply dressed green salad. A dry white with some acidity, a Loire Chenin or a Jurassic Savagnin, does more for it than anything rich. If you are choosing between Bordier's flavored butters for autumn cooking, the French churned butter collection lays out the options side by side.
Where to buy Espelette Pepper Butter in the US
The French Pantry ships Bordier butter across the United States in insulated overnight packaging, straight from the workshop in Brittany.
- Churned Espelette Pepper Butter by Bordier (4.4 oz): AOP Espelette pepper in salted butter, with the warmth to carry a sweet vegetable like pumpkin.
For the rest of the range, including the buckwheat, seaweed, and Roscoff onion butters, browse the Maison Bordier collection.
Frequently asked questions
How much Espelette pepper butter do I need to buy?
The recipe uses 100 g. Our blocks are 125 g, or 4.4 oz, so one block covers a full batch of four ramekins.
Can I substitute a different butter?
Bordier salted butter with ground Espelette pepper worked through it is the nearest equivalent. Expect the heat to be patchier, since in the original the pepper is incorporated during churning rather than stirred in afterwards.
Can I use butternut squash instead of pumpkin?
Yes, and many cooks prefer it. Butternut is drier and sweeter than most field pumpkins, which suits this dish. Keep the weight the same at 1 kg of prepared flesh.
How do I store the butter?
Keep it wrapped and refrigerated, and use it by the date on the pack. It freezes for up to three months if wrapped tightly.
Does the butter need refrigeration?
Yes. Bordier butter is a fresh, hand-churned product and ships cold. Get it into the refrigerator as soon as it arrives.
Can I assemble it in advance?
Yes. Fill the ramekins with mash and goat cheese and refrigerate them, keeping the crumble mixture separate in the refrigerator too. Top and bake just before serving, allowing a few extra minutes from cold.
Related reading
- Bordier Butter: What It Is, Why Chefs Love It, and How to Use It
- How to Choose Your French Butter: A Buyer's Guide
- Isigny Sainte-Mère: Normandy's AOP Butter & Crème Guide
Recipe and photograph adapted from Maison Bordier, with thanks. The French Pantry is an authorized US retailer of Bordier butter.