This dish is so beautiful! When I saw it in Bon Appetit Magazine last year, I just had to make it. In addition to being stunning, it’s incredibly delicious. You have to try it.

We served this dish at Thanksgiving dinner. It was a big hit. It would also be a great side dish for Christmas dinner. It’s really festive looking and it’s super easy to make.

Ingredients:

1 butternut squash

5 bay leaves

5 sprigs of thyme

3 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp butter (or vegan butter)

2 tbsp maple syrup

salt and pepper to taste

1/4 cup roasted pumpkin seeds & nuts

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the butternut squash with a Y-Head vegetable peeler like the one below. I would also recommend having a tea towel or paper towel handy to hold the squash so that it doesn’t slip out of your hands.

Then cut the squash in half lengthwise.

Then brush on a tablespoon of olive oil on both halves. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes so that it’s not too hot to handle.

The next step is where the Hasselback cuts come into play. You’ll want to be careful not to cut all the way through the squash. Find a couple of wooden spoons or chop sticks and put them on either side of the squash before you start making the cuts. This will prevent the knife from going all the way through the squash. When you’ve made all the cuts, brush on the glaze.

To make the glaze, put 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup in a small sauce pan. Warm all of the ingredients on low heat for a couple of minutes and then brush the squash with the glaze. Allow the glaze to seep into the deep cuts. If you aren’t watching your weight, feel free to double the glaze recipe.

Then place the herbs into some of the slits. If you want to add even more flavour, you can add slivers of garlic as well. Put the squash back in the oven and bake for another 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the squash. Plate the squash on a serving dish. I drizzled the serving dish with some balsamic glaze and cashew cream before plating the squash. Top the squash with the seeds and nuts.

To make the cashew cream, soak 1/2 cup of cashews in boiling water. Remove the cashews. Discard the water. Add the cashews and 3/4 cup almond milk or cashew milk to a blender. Add 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/4 tsp white pepper. Blend until smooth. Heat the cashew cream on low heat before serving.