Christmas Cooking For Dummies
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Winter squash is a great alternative to sweet potatoes and complements foods served traditionally for Christmas and Thanksgiving dinner. This Glazed Winter Squash recipe is a perfect example of a recipe that becomes something completely different with small additions or substitutions of ingredients. Suggested variations appear after the recipe.

This recipe calls for butternut squash. You could use other winter squashes, such as acorn or buttercup, but butternut is preferred; it has the perfect firm-but-creamy texture.

Glazed Winter Squash

[Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Richard Rudisill 2012]
Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Richard Rudisill 2012

Special equipment: Very sharp chef’s knife for cutting squash

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Yield: 8 servings

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

2 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)

1/4 cup honey

Salt and pepper to taste

  1. 1Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the squash, cover, and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. The squash should yield when pierced with a sharp knife and have begun to color around the edges.

    The squash may be held at this point at room temperature for 6 hours.

  2. 2Add the honey, turn the heat to medium-high, and toss until the squash is glazed. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve immediately. Add a drizzle of honey for added sweetness, if desired.

    You can also turn this into a maple glaze by using maple syrup instead of honey.

Vary it! Some of these variations may match your meal better than the primary recipe does:

  • Browned Butter and Herbed Squash: Cook the butter until it starts to brown, then add 1 teaspoon of thyme. Proceed with the recipe but don’t add the honey. Try replacing the thyme with sage or oregano as well.

  • Molasses-Glazed Squash: Use 2 tablespoons honey and 2 tablespoons unsulphured (not blackstrap) molasses to replace the 1/4 cup honey and proceed as directed.

  • Garlic and Olive Oil Squash: Use 1/4 cup light olive oil instead of butter and add 2 teaspoons minced garlic along with the squash. Eliminate the honey and proceed as directed.

  • Glazed Winter Squash with Apples: Add one peeled and diced apple to the squash as you place it in the pan. You can use sweet or tart apples.

  • Glazed Winter Squash with Dried Fruit: Add 1/4 cup raisins, golden raisins, or currants to the squash as you place it in the pan.

  • Spiced Glazed Squash: Add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of cinnamon or ginger along with the squash to the original recipe. You could also try a pinch to a 1/4 teaspoon of allspice. Try the spices alone or in combination.

About This Article

This article is from the book:

About the book author:

Dede Wilson, CCP, contributes to Bon Appétit and Pastry and Design magazine and to NBC's Todayshow. She is also the Food and Entertaining expert for CanDoWoman.com.

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