Recipe Archives->Vegetables->Stuffed Squash 09

CHEESE-STUFFED WHOLE WINTER SQUASH

4-5 lb. whole winter squash (pumpkin or buttercup)
1/4 lb. unsalted butter
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1 teaspoon minced or pressed garlic
1 3/4 cups unseasoned fine dry bread crumbs, perferably from French bread
3/4 cup freshly shredded Swiss cheese, preferably Emmentaler
1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
About 1 1/2 cups light cream or half & half
salt
freshly ground black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg

Cut off and reserve the top of the squash to use as a lid.  With
a large spoon, scoop out the seeds and stringy portions.  Reserve.

Preheat an oven to 400 F.

Heat the butter in a saute pan or skillet over medium heat.  Add
the onion and ocok until very soft and golden, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute longer.  Add the bread crumbs
and stir to coat thoroughly with butter.  Remove from the heat and
combine with the cheese, heavy cream, 1 cup of the light cream,
and salt, pepper, and nutmeg to taste.

Place the squash in a shallow baking pan.  Fill the squash to within
1/2 inch of the rim with the cheese mixture, adding more half and
half if necessary to reach this level.  cover with the reserved
lid, and wrap the stem with foil to prevent it from burning.  Bake
until the cheese mixture is bubbly and the shell of the squahsh is
soft to the touch on the outside, about 1 hour.

Transport the squash to the table for serving and remove the lid.
With a long-handled spoon, scoop out some of the cooked pulp along
with the melted cheese stuffing for each serving.

Printable version: stuffed-squash09.txt.