Best thing about this Blossom is it’s Quick, Pretty and Delicious!! Don’t you think that every Thanksgiving you should make at least one dish that you haven’t tried before? How about this gorgeous looking Butternut Squash Blossom! I found this beauty in an old Southern Living magazine. It looks so fresh and different compared to the creamy cheesy squash casseroles that you are so used to seeing… Check out our collection of favorite Butternut Squash Recipes! Umm, nothing wrong with those, in fact I have a great yellow squash casserole coming for you very soon. But I couldn’t help to churn out this one for you first!! Another great thing about this blossom is that it has shortest ingredient list. Most of you might already have everything in your pantry, just buy that butternut squash next time you go grocery shopping.
Let’s get this Blossom going…
You can make this in an oven-safe skillet or a round 8 to 10 inch baking dish or casserole. I am using a 1.5 pound butternut squash, peeled and cut it in half lengthwise, seeds removed. Then you need to soften it a little bit so you can easily cut the flower petals from the squash. Place the squash halves, face down, in a baking dish filled with 1 inch of water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 5 minutes. That way it’s a little softer to cut nice thin slices. Ideally, you want your slices about 1/8 of an inch thick. Before you assemble your blossom, you want some kind of flavoring mixture to top and drizzle over these petals. How about something with bacon and maple syrup? This dish has started sounding interesting, hasn’t it? We love the sound of anything that has bacon. In a skillet, fry your bacon until golden brown. Remove, crumble and set aside. Add chopped onions to the bacon drippings and cook until translucent. Mix in olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper, and half of the maple syrup. Stir on for few seconds then pour this mixture over squash slices and toss well. Now all that is remaining is arrange the squash slices into a blossom and bake it… simple, huh? First, set your oven to pre-heat to 400°F. Then, starting from the outer edge of your skillet or round casserole, arrange the squash slices in slightly overlapping concentric circles to make the flower blossom shape. Early in the process the slices will slip a bit, hang in there, it will be worth it! Don’t worry about perfection, once the blossom is complete you can easily make adjustments here and there. Once your flower is arranged, stick it in the oven and bake until the squash is tender and its edges begin to crisp, about 40-45 minutes. Keep checking the last few minutes to get the perfect amount of browning. Once it’s out, drizzle the remaining half of your maple syrup, sprinkle bacon and voila… you have one gorgeous dish on table. If you compare the amount of work that goes into this dish to the prettiness of what you can achieve, you are going to get mighty impressed of your own handy work!! Let me know if you try it out this coming holiday season, and do subscribe to my Gypsyplate so plenty more interesting recipes keep coming your way!!
Butternut Squash Blossom, on my Gypsy Plate… Enjoy!!!
Try these other great dishes this holiday season!Lazy Sweet Potato MashPork Pinwheels with ZucchinicceFruity Nutty Crispy Brussels SproutsSweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel Thanksgiving Kale SaladGreen Rice CasseroleSuccotashCreamed Peas with Pearl OnionsGoat Cheese Mashed Potatoes
