Oven-roasted Kobacha Squash Masala Dosa with Pistachio Brittle-Cardamom Ice Cream

To make the garam masala: Dry-roast the cloves, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and cardamom seeds in a skillet over medium heat until lightly colored and fragrant. Remove from the skillet and cool to room temperature. Grind the spices into a fine powder in a spice grinder and place in a bowl. Stir in the nutmeg and cinnamon. Set aside.

To make the brittle: Line a baking sheet with a silicone liner. Put the corn syrup, water, and sugar in a heavy non-aluminum saucepan and cook over medium heat to the soft ball stage (234 F – 240 F on a candy thermometer). Remove from the heat. Guarding against spatters, stir in the remaining ingredients. Pour onto the prepared pan and spread out thin. Let cool. Break the brittle into small pieces and grind half of the brittle into fine powder in a spice grinder. Reserve the brittle and the powder separately in a cool, dry location.

To make the ice cream: Place the egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk until well combined. Put the half-and-half and cardamom seeds in a heavy saucepan. Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the pan, then drop in the pods. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, then whisk a large spoonful into the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Whisk the egg mixture into the half-and-half and place over medium-low heat. Stirring constantly, cook until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve. Place in the refrigerator to cool. Put the mixture in an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the chopped brittle for the masala dosa and the squash stuffing. Just before the mixture freezes, stir the remaining chopped brittle into the ice cream. Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

To make the masala dosa: Place the rice in a bowl with 2 cups of the water. Soak for 6 hours. Drain well and set aside. Place the red gram dal and fenugreek in a bowl with 2 cups of the water and soak for 6 hours; drain.

Place the rice in a blender or food processor. With the motor running, add 1 cup of water. Transfer the puree to a large bowl and set aside. Place the red gram dal and fenugreek in the blender or processor. With the motor running, add the lemongrass-ginger simple syrup and 1/2 cup of water. Transfer to the bowl with the rice puree, cover, and set aside. Let the mixture ferment for 12 hours.

Place the fermented mixture in the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, semolina, 1 tablespoon chopped pistachio brittle, 1 teaspoon garam masala, and the mint. Process, adding enough water to make the batter thin enough to pour.

Heat an 8-inch crepe pan over medium-high heat. Ladle the batter into the pan, starting at the outer edge and working toward the center in a circular motion. Smooth the surface with the back of the ladle. Spoon 1 teaspoon of oil around the edges. When the edges are set and the center shows bubbles, lift an edge to see if the dosa is browned; flip when browned and brown on the other side. Remove from the pan and place on a large warmed plate; set aside. Make four dosa.

To make the crème anglaise: Put half of the carrot juice reduction in a squeeze bottle and store in the refrigerator. Place the remaining carrot juice reduction, the egg yolks, and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whisk the mixture until well combined and set aside. Put the cream in a heavy non-aluminum saucepan and scrape the vanilla seeds into the cream. Drop in the vanilla pods and add the cardamom. Bring the mixture to a boil; remove from the heat and whisk a large spoonful of the hot cream into the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Whisk the egg mixture into the hot cream and place over medium-low heat. Stirring constantly, cook until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve and put in a squeeze bottle. Place in the refrigerator to cool.

To make the stuffing: Heat the oven to 400 F. Place the squash on a sheet pan, rub with oil, and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Roast until tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, peel, and finely dice. Set aside. Heat the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the squash and saute 2 minutes. Add the rice, reserved tablespoon of chopped brittle, brown sugar, and garam masala. Remove from the heat; keep warm.

To assemble and serve: Place the masala dosa on a work surface. Spoon squash stuffing in the center of each. Roll into a cone shape and place one in the center of each serving plate. Top with a quenelle of ice cream. Sprinkle pistachio brittle powder down one side of each plate. Put the carrot crème anglaise and carrot reduction in separate squeeze bottles and garnish the other side of the plates with dots of crème anglaise and reduction.

Infused Simple Syrup

To make plain simple syrup: In a medium, heavy saucepan, combine the sugar and water and cook over high heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture reaches a full boil, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool, and store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.

To infuse simple syrup: After taking the sugar syrup off the heat, above, put the flavoring agents, in this case ginger and lemongrass, in the syrup and let cool. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.