Gratineed Baked Squash Halves

When I was doing the original recipe organizing that got me started on this blog, I found this recipe and thought I'd attach it to a recipe card and give it a try sometime.  Last week was that time and wow am I glad I didn't just toss this recipe.  My family, except my son whom I cannot get to like squash no matter what, loved it!  I think when he matures a little more it will be this recipe that will win him over to the love of squash.  At the top of the recipe it appropriately says, "Fresh sage and grated Gruyere make this classic fall dish special."  Oh yes it is!  So as you have probably guessed, you begin this dish with squash - two acorn squash, halved and seeded, salted and peppered.

Fresh sage is halved and garlic is sliced.

The sage and garlic are combined with cream in a saucepan and simmered.

This smells heavenly.  The recipe doesn't say how long to simmer it for so I let it simmer for about five minutes to make sure the flavors combined nicely.  It is then poured evenly into the squash halves.

The squash is baked and when tender, grated Gruyere is added to each and they are put back into the oven until the cheese melts.  When I went to buy cheese I almost fainted when I was reminded how much Gruyere costs.  I opted to use a good quality Swiss instead and since it was cheaper, I added a little more cheese to make it even cheesier.

It's now time to dig in and makes for yet another recipe absolutely perfect for this time of year!  Speaking of this time of year.  This is always when I get really jealous of my feline friends.  There are some cold, rainy fall days I wish I could curl up in a warm little ball of laziness for the whole day.

Gratineed Baked Squash Halves


2 acorn squash, halved crosswise, seeds removed
salt and pepper
1/2 c. heavy cream
8 fresh sage leaves, torn in half
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese (about 2 oz)  I used about 1 cup of a good quality Swiss


Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place squash halves on a baking sheet.  Season with salt and pepper.  Pour about 1/2 cup to 1 cup water onto baking sheet around squash.  Combine cream with sage and garlic in small saucepan.  Bring to a simmer and simmer about 5 minutes.  Pour evenly into squash halves.  Bake until squash are tender when pierced with a fork or knife, approximately 30-40 minutes.  Remove from oven; sprinkle evenly with cheese.  Continue baking until cheese is melted and golden.