Cooking_It

Copilot:

I would like to buy that roundish green-skinned squash for a Thanksgiving meal. What is it called?

On the page you have open, the squash shown is courge musquée (butternut squash). It has a beige/tan skin, though, not green.

If you're thinking of a round, green-skinned squash commonly served at Thanksgiving, it is more likely one of these:

Buttercup squash (courge buttercup): dark green, fairly round and squat, with dense orange flesh. Excellent for roasting and mashing.

Kabocha squash (courge kabocha): dark green, round, slightly flattened, sweet flesh often described as a cross between pumpkin and sweet potato.

Acorn squash (courge poivrée): green, smaller, with distinctive ridges, often baked in halves.

For a Thanksgiving meal, kabocha and buttercup are especially prized because they're sweeter and richer than many pumpkins.

If you'd like, I can help identify the exact squash from a photo or describe the differences in appearance in more detail.

Buttercup, which I was confusing with butternut (the beige one). I was planning to cut it in four, and put it in the oven with butter or sliced cheese!!

Ah yes, that's a very common mix-up! Butternut is the beige pear-shaped one, while buttercup is the dark green, round squash with the rich orange flesh.

Your plan sounds delicious. Buttercup squash is particularly good roasted because its flesh becomes sweet, dense, and almost chestnut-like in flavour.

A simple approach:

Wash it and cut it into quarters.

Scoop out the seeds.

Place the quarters cut-side up on a baking tray.

Add a generous knob of butter to each piece.

Roast at about 190°C (375°F) for 45-60 minutes, depending on size.

It's ready when a knife slides in easily.

For cheese, I'd add it during the last 10-15 minutes. Good choices include:

Cheddar

Gruyère

Oka (since you're in Québec, this is excellent with squash)

Parmesan for a more savoury finish

A favourite combination of mine is butter, a little salt, black pepper, and a sprinkle of brown sugar or maple syrup, then cheese near the end. The sweet squash and the slightly salty melted cheese work wonderfully together.

Don't throw out the seeds, either. Toss them with a little oil and salt and roast them alongside the squash for a crunchy snack.

For Thanksgiving, buttercup squash can easily hold its own beside turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. In fact, many people find it more flavourful than pumpkin. 🍂🎃🦃

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This is the squash I ended up buying; it says 'poivree' on the tag so I guess it is an acorn. Do the instructions still hold?

Yes, that certainly looks like an acorn squash (courge poivrée). The deep ridges and acorn-like shape are the giveaway.

The good news is that your cooking plan still works very well. I'd make just a few adjustments:

Cut it in half first. Acorn squash can be a bit awkward to quarter while raw because of the ridges.

Scoop out the seeds.

Then either leave as halves or cut each half into two wedges.

Roast at 190°C (375°F).

Because acorn squash is generally a bit smaller and less dense than buttercup, it may be ready in 35-50 minutes rather than a full hour.

For the butter-and-cheese version:

Put a pat of butter in the seed cavity of each half.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast until almost tender.

Add sliced cheese for the last 10-15 minutes.

Since you're in Québec, I'd be tempted to use:

Oka

Sharp cheddar

Gruyère

One thing to note: acorn squash is often slightly less sweet than buttercup. If you taste it and think it's a bit mild, a drizzle of maple syrup or a pinch of brown sugar before roasting really brings it to life.

Also, that orange patch on the side is actually a good sign. Acorn squash develop a yellow-orange "ground spot" where they rested in the field, and a pronounced spot usually indicates good maturity and flavour.

And unlike many winter squashes, the skin of acorn squash becomes fairly tender when roasted. You can eat the flesh out of the shell, or if it's cooked long enough, some people eat the skin too.

For a Thanksgiving side dish, I think your original idea of butter + melted cheese will be excellent. The squash acts almost like a little edible bowl holding all the melted butter and cheese. 🍂🧀🎃

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Done:

                                                                              

Took 30 minutes...

                                                     

Has a stronger taste than butternut!