This Acorn Squash Fondue is a must-make appetizer for two. Please come over and dunk a piece of bread or some veggies in this molten cheese and enjoy.
Cheese Fondue is something I really love and there are so many varieties possible. I have a recipe on the blog of an Alpine & Blue Cheese Fondue, and I can tell you, I’ll be making a lot of recipes with cheese. Cheese is one of my favorite ingredients and melted cheese has this warming, comforting effect that is hard to resist.
Making fondue right into a squash is not that difficult. It takes a little bit of time as you want the squash to remain intact, while the flesh becomes soft, sweet and delicious. So a little bit of attention is required.
Key Ingredients in This Recipe
This recipe comes together with a handful of ingredients:
- Acorn Squash – One of many cute squashes around. The acorn squash is shaped as an ——— you got it, an acorn. It has a dark yellow flesh that is slightly stringy. It’s also a mildly sweet flavored squash and will pair well with cheese, especially the strong Swiss cheeses.
- Gruyere Cheese – This is THE traditional fondue cheese. Gruyere is a Swiss cheese with complex, nutty and buttery flavors. There is also a cave-aged Gruyere; spicier with a more mature taste and with tiny crystals.
- Emmentaler Cheese – Know by many as ‘Swiss Cheese’ and indeed this is a cheese from Switzerland. It’s a holy cheese, as in a cheese with holes or eyes as the cheesemongers will say. And like the Gruyere cheese, Emmentaler is also available in a cave-aged version.
- White wine – as the amount of wine is very small, the type of white wine does not matter that much, as long as it is not too sour. Use the white wine you like to drink.
How to Make Acorn Squash Fondue
A few steps are required to make this appetizer. And some baking time in the oven and you will need to check on the progress every now and then. Let’s go and do this:
Step 1 – Cut the top of the acorn squash off. Not too little and not too much. Start with a very thin slice and if that’s not enough cut another slice. You want to be able to get in there with a spoon and clean it out.
Step 2 – Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and membranes. When the squash is hollowed out, use your fingers and coat the inside with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
Place the the bottom of the squash in a ramekin (otherwise it will fall over) and place it in a 400 degrees F oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a fork can be easily inserted into the flesh of the squash.
Step 3 – Use a fork to scrape and fluff the sides of the squash. You can also use a hand mixer for this task. Just use one beater and carefully scrape the sides and the bottom to loosen the flesh of the squash. Don’t scrape out everything, leave about 1/4 inch so the squash keeps some of its rigidity to serve as a ‘container’ to hold the fondue.
Step 4 – Fill the squash with the grated cheese and white wine and mix that with the squash flesh. Place the ramekin back into the oven (400 degrees F) for another 10-20 minutes.
Check every now and then and stir, until all the cheese is melted and hot.
Cut some bread or veggies and dunk your fondue fork in the squash and enjoy!
Alternatives and Substitutes
- Any other type of small squash could potentially do the job, however I have not tried another type. What you need consider is that the squash stays wholesome, while the flesh becomes soft during baking.
- Gruyere and Emmentaler can be replaced by other Alpine cheeses or cheddar, Gouda cheese, blue cheese, Fontina.
I hope you will enjoy this Acorn Squash Fondue. Use the tag #agourmetfoodblog when posting a picture of your recipe, and make sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook or Pinterest.
Acorn Squash Fondue
Ingredients
- 1 acorn squash
- 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 ounces Gruyere cheese grated
- 2 ounces Emmentaler cheese grated
- 2 tablespoons white wine
- salt & pepper
- nutmeg (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the top of the squash off. Not too little and not too much. Start with a very thin slice and if that's not enough cut another slice. You want to be able to get in there with a spoon to clean it out.
- Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and membranes. When the squash is hollowed out, use your fingers and coat the inside with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
- Place the the bottom of the squash in a ramekin (otherwise it will fall over) and place it in a 400 degrees F oven and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a fork can be easily inserted into the flesh of the squash.
- Use a fork to from the sides of the squash. Carefully scrape the sides and the bottom to loosen the flesh of the squash. Don't scrape out everything; the squash needs to keep some of it rigidity to serve as a 'container' to hold the fondue.
- Fill the squash with the grated cheese and wine, mix with the squash flesh and place it back into the oven (400 degrees F) for another 10-20 minutes.
- Check every now and then and stir, until all the cheese is melted and hot.
- Add salt and pepper to taste and nutmeg (optional)
Notes
- Instead of using a fork, you can use a hand mixer for this task. Just use one beater and carefully scrape the sides and the bottom to loosen the meat of the squash.
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