I made roasted corn pudding in acorn squash!

Yo everyone on the blog!



I made this a while back, but didn't post it. It happens. But this recipe was really good and pretty easy. The hardest part is probably cutting the squash. I actually did not use acorn squash but "carnival squash" - it is the kind that looks like acorn squash in shape, but instead of being dark green, it has multicolored flecks on the outside. I think they are pretty comparable.

This is the recipe that I used. I basically followed it exactly!

Here is the recipe with some of my notes:

Roasted Corn Pudding in Acorn Squash Recipe
Taken from The Vegetarian Compass written by Karen Hubert Allison (via 101 Cookbooks):

(This recipe is for 1 squash, so just increase accordingly if you want to make more.)

1 small (2 lb.) acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeded (or carnival squash)
1 tablespoon clarified butter or olive oil
1 cup milk
1 egg plus 2 egg whites
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (or more if you like)
1/4 teaspoon anise seed, chopped (I omitted - don't like anise. I used some cayenne instead.)
1/2 cup chopped scallions
a tiny pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/3 cup grated white cheddar cheese

(You may end up with extra filling that doesn't fit in the squash. If so, you can put it in some buttered muffin tins or ramekins and bake it along with the squash - I did! It was good.)

Preheat the oven to 375F degrees with a rack in the middle.

Rub the orange flesh of the squash with the butter/oil. Place cut side up on a baking sheet. You will want it to sit flat (and not tip), if you are having trouble just level out the bottom using a knife. If the squash is tilting on the pan, the filling will run out - bad news. Cover the squash with foil and bake for 40 minutes or until the squash starts to get tender.

In a bowl combine the milk, eggs, corn, anise seed, half of the scallions, nutmeg, and salt. Fill each of the squash bowls 3/4 full (see head notes about using leftovers). Carefully transfer the squash back to the oven without spilling (tricky!).



Continue baking uncovered for another 30 - 50 minutes, or until the squash is fully cooked through, and the pudding has set. The amount of time it takes can vary wildly depending on the squash and oven. At the last minute sprinkle with cheese and finish with a flash under the broiler to brown the cheese. (I didn't use the broiler for this part, just used the regular oven.) Keep and eye on things, you can go from melted cheese to burnt and inedible in a flash. Serve hot sprinkled with the remaining scallions.

Serves 4 - 6.

I made Cheddar Scallion Scones

I felt like baking the other day. I really didn't have any reason to bake apart from the fact that it was snowing outside and baking is always a nice cozy activity to pass the time when you really don't want to go outside. The catch was, of course, that because I didn't want to go outside, I needed to bake something with ingredients that I already had. Earlier that day, I read a recipe for cheddar chipotle scones on one of my favorite food blogs, Serious Eats, but it called for sour cream and other things I didn't have at home, so I did an old fashioned Google search and found the recipe below for cheddar scallion scones.

Miraculolusly, I had all the ingredients.

Cheddar Scallion Scones (from the blog Grow Cook Eat)

I should mention that the original recipe was for BACON cheddar scallion scones, but I didn't have any bacon at home. I certainly am all for adding bacon to the recipe though, don't get me wrong.

3 slices bacon, chopped (optional)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup (packed) coarsely grated extra-sharp white cheddar cheese (about 4 ounces) I used a mix of white and yellow cheddar.
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3 scallions, washed and cut into rings.
3/4 cup chilled whipping cream (or combination of milk and cream)
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 375°F.

If using bacon: Put bacon in a skillet, and cook over medium heat until the fat is rendered and the bacon is crispy. Drain bacon on a paper towel.

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter using your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add cheese. Whisk cream, mustard and egg in small bowl, and add the scallions and the bacon. Add cream mixture to flour mixture and gently knead until just combined.



Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Gather dough together; divide in half. Pat each half into 6-inch round. Cut each round into 6 wedges. Transfer to ungreased baking sheet, spacing 2 inches apart.



Bake scones until golden and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.
Transfer scones to rack and cool at least 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. They can be made 8 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. If desired, rewarm in 350°F oven about 5 minutes.)

I think these scones would also taste delicious with a pinch or two of red pepper flakes. I also think that it would be cool to add some more grated cheese to the tops of the scones about 2 minutes before they come out of the oven, so that it gets nice and baked in and toasty.

These scones were flavorful and fragrant from the scallions. The sharp cheddar and addition of the dijon mustard made them a little tangy. There was also a nice salty/sweet thing going on. Definitely easy to make. I recommend you do!