Acorn Squash Fondue

I used to watch The Chew religiously, & my opinion remains the same - that it was the most under-rated cooking show ever. It was so good, Clinton Kelly was a dream, and the recipe that made the biggest impression on me was his Acorn Squash Fondue. I remember watching him make it thinking it was equal parts beautiful + impressive + festive. And he made it look incredible easy, which made quite the impact in the stage of my early adulthood where I was trying to wow even myself in the kitchen. So I gave this recipe a try, and it was a hit. A big, festive hit! So every year, I break out this bad boy at least once.

squashy + cheesy + so good

What can you expect with this? It’s leeks + cheese + cream combined to make this decadent, gooey filling, and that’s baked right in your squash. So the squash is a main ingredient // serving vessel.

Roasted squash has this buttery, kind of sweet flavor, and when it’s roasted, it organically takes on a texture that makes it taste like a mash. That buttery, squash flavor mixed with the salty + savory cheese center - heaven. The key to the perfect bite is getting a hunk of tender squash with that gooey, hot cheese sauce. And of course getting some of the crispy gruyere right on top. Loaded up on a lightly toasted baguette as a means to stuff it in your mouth. Ahhhh it’s so good.

I’ve also been successful in lightening it up. I know Clinton went the route of mascarpone + heavy cream + whole milk to get that creamy consistency. Those 3 items in one dish kind of scare me, and I have this innate need to try to lighten it up. So long story short - my recipe calls for a mix of equal parts heavy cream + almond milk. A combo I’ve used a couple times now and I’ve been more than pleased.

Don’t be shy with the cheese

The final touch of this dish is melty gruyere right over the top. So after you separate the mascarpone mixture between the squash halves, you should have a little extra room in each half (the filling won’t totally fill you up), & you fill the gap with shredded gruyere. You bake everything covered for quite a while, and the final 15 minutes you take the foil off to brown the cheese on top. Think browned, crispy, gooey cheese you get on top of French onion soup - same concept here.

The key is don’t hold back with the gruyere. You kind of need to pack your gruyere into the squash (on top of the mascarpone-leek mix) to really get the full gruyere experience, and then continue so that a thin layer of cheese covers the entire top of the squash.

So good it needs to be shared

This is THE thing to make if you’re hosting people during the Fall. I mean - it’s cheese dip in an acorn squash. Cheese dip is always a safe bet, and in this case presentation is on point. It just looks festive & tastes so good, & my opinion is that this dish is so good it needs to be shared with your closest friends & family.

A real favorite at our house, and so simple to prepare. I even went as far to tag good ol’ Clinton in my instagram story of this dish. Pretty much only because I wanted him to know how much I just cherish this recipe. It’s followed me through the years, and has even followed me to Washington. I reeally love having this as a go to Fall dish to share with friends and enjoy just us two at home. Gives me all the cozy holiday feels.

For the Fondue

• 1 acorn squash

• EVOO

• Salt + pepper

• 1-2 tbsp butter

• 2 cloves garlic

• 1 leek, sliced

• 1/4 c. mascarpone

• 1/4 c. heavy cream

• 1/4 c. almond milk

• pinch of nutmeg

• 1 baguette, sliced & toasted

Preheat the oven to 400. Halve the squash, scoop out the seeds, drizzle the inside with olive oil, and sprinkle salt & pepper on top. Place cut side up in a baking dish.

In a skillet, melt the butter over medium head. Add in the garlic + leek, and saute until the leeks are tender (7-8 minutes). Turn off the heat and let the leek cool for about 10 minutes. Mix the leeks, mascarpone, cream, and almond milk in a bowl, stirring until it’s well combined and appears to be a thick filling. Sprinkle in the nutmeg and a bit of salt and pepper, and stir. Split the mascarpone mixture between the two squash halves. Top with the gruyere, and cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes, then remove the foil layer and continue baking for the final 15 minutes.

Remove the squash from the oven and serve on a platter with toasted baguette. Also tastes great on celery if you want a second dipper.