We were cooking butternut squash juice. We noticed a lot of sediment in the pot, so we opted to stay by the stove and stir the juice as it heated. This was a smart decision because every time we stopped, the sediment settled to the bottom of the pot. Clear gelatinous lumps began to appear, resembling misshapen tapioca pearls. As it kept cooking, they broke back down, and the squash juice thickened into something resembling a puree. We poured it into a hotel pan and chilled it. When it was cold, we discovered a tender, delicate gel. The gelling properties of the unseasoned juice sparked our interest. When we broke the gel apart and blended it with the egg yolks to make a sauce, the structure broke and did not reform upon chilling. So we need to explore the question of whether the egg yolks weakened the gel or if the butternut squash starch is not thermo-reversible. Observation is the catalyst for exploration.
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