Maple Glazed Acorn Squash

from ButterYum

Ingredients

• • 1 acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeded

  • 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed orange juice

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar

  • pinch of kosher salt

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

  • pinch of cayenne pepper

Directions

• 1. Preheat oven to 400F.

  2. Place acorn halves in a baking dish and score each half 1/4-inch deep in a crisscross pattern; brush with orange juice and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.

  3. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

  4. In a nonstick pan, make glaze by combining the brown sugar, butter, maple syrup, and cayenne for 1 full minute.

  5. Remove squash from oven and brush with glaze; return to oven for another 40 minutes.

  6. Remove from oven and rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. adapted from foodwishes.com.

Hint - cutting acorn squash can be risky business, but here are a couple ways to go about it safely. 1) you can stabilize the squash by nestling it down in your impeccably clean sink drain before you stab it with your razor sharp knife. Or 2) you can bunch up a tea towel on your cutting board; making a well for the squash to nest in to keep it stable while you cut it. Whatever you do, be sure to use a very sharp knife and keep your fingers well out of the way.