Ingredients:
- 3 medium acorn squash, about 2 lbs. each
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 6 equal pieces
Bread Pudding Recipe
Ingredients:
- 5 slices peppered bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch wide strips, about 1/2 cup
- 1 medium Vidalia onion, finely diced (1 cup)
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, basil or oregano
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 cups cubed artisanal sourdough bread
- 6 Tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
Acorn Squash Stuffed with Bacon Bread Pudding Recipe
Lots of home cooks, when they think of acorn squash, think about a sweetish dish made with a little brown sugar and butter and perhaps some sorghum or honey. While we love acorn squash prepared this way, our iteration adds some savory and salty notes with the addition of peppered bacon and blue cheese in a reach, creamy bread pudding.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Remove the stems from the squash. Cut each squash in half crosswise and scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard. Cut a sliver off the squash bottoms so they will sit flat. Place the squash halves, hollowed side up, in a baking dish large enough to hold them. Sprinkle the insides of the squash with salt and pepper and place in a piece of butter in the center of each. Pour 1/2 cup water into the dish around the squash. Cover the baking dish and maintain the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake until the squash are tender when you insert a small, sharp knife into the flesh. Keep the squash in the baking dish and maintain the oven temperature while you prepare the stuffing.
Bread Pudding Recipe
Directions:
To make the bread pudding stuffing, cook the bacon in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Remove the bacon and let it drain on paper towels, then crumble and set aside. Drain all but 2 teaspoons of the bacon drippings into the skillet.
Add the onion to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the butter until melted and add the herbs to the melted butter.
Place the eggs, buttermilk, cream, salt and pepper in a large bowl and whisk until the mixture is smooth and blended. Stir in the onion mixture, bacon and bread cubes and let stand for 10 minutes to allow the bread to absorb the custard mixture, stirring occasionally.
Spoon the bread mixture into the partially baked squash shells, dividing evenly. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the blue cheese over each filled squash. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the filling is just set, about 25 minutes. Uncover and bake until browned on top, about 15 minutes.
*Makes 6 servings.
Hungry but don’t feel like breaking out the pots and pans? Let us do the work for you! Make a reservation to dine at the Tupelo Honey nearest you.