Roasted acorn squash with pomegranate glaze
Instructions:
- Use a citrus reamer, juicer, or press to extract the pomegranate juice.
- 2 cups fresh pomegranate juice (about 7 pomegranates), plus seeds from 1/ 2 pomegranate for garnish
- 1/ 4 cup sugar
- 5 whole allspice
- 5 whole black peppercorns
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 1 whole cinnamon stick
- Unsalted butter, melted, for brushing, plus more at room temperature for the pan
- 3 acorn squash, sliced into 1-inch-thick rings, seeds removed
- Coarse salt
- Preheat the oven to 450ï€ F. In a small saucepan, combine the juice, sugar, allspice, peppercorns, bay leaf, and cinnamon. Simmer until reduced to a syrup. Drain through a fine sieve into a small bowl, and discard the spices.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Butter the parchment. Lay the squash rings on top of the parchment; brush the tops with melted butter, and season with salt.
- Roast the squash until tender when pierced with a paring knife and the undersides are well browned, about 30 minutes. Turn the squash over, and brush the tops with pomegranate glaze. Continue cooking 5 minutes more. Remove from the oven; brush the squash again with glaze. Transfer to a serving platter; serve immediately, garnished with pomegranate seeds.