Acorn Squash Fondue
Who doesn’t like cheese? Where I used to work, we determined that chocolate and cheese are the only foods that could really go with just about anything. Including each other. Go ahead – try to say otherwise. Add in the fall mood of us good-hearted folks, and my fiance and I decided to try out a twist on The Chew’s acorn squash fondue. We’re both trying to watch what we eat, so we tried to modify it to a “light” version. I was skeptical of whether or not you would taste the squash in the fondue, but the flavor is there, adding a slightly sweet and buttery flavor to the creamy cheese.
As we were picking our acorn squash at the farm, we looked up “how to pick an acorn squash.” While things like bananas, tomatoes, and most other produce have specific ways of showing they are ripe and ready, acorn squash isn’t as easy. So here’s the scoop – you need to find an acorn squash that is “heavy for its size.” Then, you want to find one that also has a balance of orange and green color. So there you have it – now you know you’ll have the perfect acorn squash. For our fondue at least, we followed the guidelines and the squash came out well.
The recipe is pretty simple. You’ll need to pick a balance of cheeses that you enjoy. The Chew recommends using Mascarpone cheese in the mix to add texture. I don’t think it was needed, but she did enjoy it so it’s really up to you. We picked a blend of Swiss and Smoked Gouda (since that’s what we had) and it turned out well. Dippers are up to you – we limited our bread intake, but that is the clear front runner. We also had radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, and apples. My favorite dipper was the apples.
Acorn Squash Fondue
Preheat the oven to 400 Degrees
- 2 Acorn Squash
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- 1 Leek
- 1/4 cup Mascarpone
- 1 cup Light Cream
- Nutmeg
- 1 cup grated Smoked Gouda
- 1 cup grated Swiss
- Multi-grain bread
Use a roasting pan lined with parchment paper. After washing the Acorn Squash, cutting the tops off, and removing the seeds, season the outside of the squash with salt and pepper and cut a small piece of the bottom off so that the squash sits standing up.
Melt butter while sauteing the chopped up Leeks until tender. Meanwhile, mix together Mascarpone, cream, nutmeg, cooked Leeks, and salt and pepper. Also mix in about 1 and 3/4 cup of the grated cheese. Then, add the mixture to the squash and then sprinkle remain cheese on top of each squash.
Cover with foil baking for about 1 hour. If not tender after an hour – continue and check in 10 minute increments. Once tender, remove foil and broil for 2 minutes.
Serve with bread, veggies, and I suggest apples!
