Maple Baked Acorn with Raisins and Candied Walnuts

Pin It My mom was the first person to show me how great a baked squash can be. She slices acorn squashes and bake them with a little olive oil and salt. Very simple and yet tasteful. I decided to make it a little different, adding sweet maple syrup and cinnamon. I used candied walnuts that I keep in my pantry, but regular ones will do just fine too. This is a beautiful dish that would certainly impress guests. It can be a side dish or a main vegetarian entry.

Maple Baked Acorn with Raisins and Candied Walnuts Recipe:

Adapted from this recipe

You will need:

1 acorn squash

maple syrup

cinnamon

butter

raisins

candied walnuts *(recipe bellow), or any other type of nuts

salt and pepper

Cut off stem and bottom of the acorn, so it has a flat surface on each end. Half the acorn and scoop the seeds and pulp out. Place the halves on a greased baking sheet and fill each one with 1 tbsp of syrup, 1/2 tbsp of butter, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, salt and pepper. Mix it up and spread around the edges (I used a brush for it). Place the nuts, chopped as well as the raisins inside the squash cups.

Bake it at 350F for about 40-45 minutes. Every once in a while, if the squash edges are getting too dry, baste it with the syrup mixture, either using a brush or a spoon.

If you are cooking for one person only, make only 1 half of the squash.

Candied Walnuts Recipe:

I favour this recipe (found at the foodnetwork site) over many others from different chefs simply because the nuts are bakes and not deep fried.

1/4 cup powder sugar

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1/8 tsp salt

4 oz walnuts (about 1 cup)

Mix all ingredients except walnuts. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and blanch the walnuts for about 4 minutes. Drain well and immediately roll the walnuts in the sugar mixture. Place them on a baking sheet and bake at 350F for about 10 minutes, watching carefully because the sugar can burn quickly. Store in an airtight container.