roasted honeynut squash with maple-bourbon mascarpone
Sweet honeynut squash roasted and served with their own seeds and maple-bourbon mascarpone
Roasted honeynut squash recipe
Yes, it’s a vegetable - for dessert! These babies are so sweet they don’t need much, and they’re packed with nutritional goodness.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 honeynut squashes, halved vertically, seeds scooped out, rinsed of pulp, and reserved
Flaky sea salt, such as Maldon
1/2 cup mascarpone
1/2 cup heavy cream
Maple syrup to taste (a couple tablespoons)
1/4 tsp bourbon or more if preferred
4 TBS unsalted butter
Fresh lemon juice to taste
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°. Pat seeds dry and lay them out on a tray. On a separate tray or shallow roasting pan arrange squashes, flesh side up. Sprinkle salt on top. Put both seeds and squashes in the oven on a middle rack. Watch seeds carefully and remove them when they are dry, crisped, and puffed a little (around 15 minutes). After about 20-25 minutes when the squash has begun to soften slightly, raise oven temperature to 400° to caramelize them a bit. They are done when they still hold their shape firmly but a knife tip goes in easily and the edges are slightly browned.
While squashes and seeds are roasting, prepare the cream: Whisk both creams in a bowl until they are light and fluffy but still a little loose. Whisk in the maple syrup and bourbon to taste.
In a small skillet cook the butter over medium heat so it melts and starts to foam. Add squash seeds and, proceeding carefully, cook until the butter goes slightly brown and has a toasty hazelnut color. Remove from heat promptly.
To serve: put squash halves on separate plates or a platter. Spoon seeds and some of the brown butter over the top and put a dollop of cream on the side. Spritz the squashes with a little lemon for brightness.