Maple Syrup glazed Hasselback Butternut Squash with Saffron and Butter

When it comes to Autumn, we think orange, we think butternut squash! This delicious Saffron, Butter and Maple Syrup glazed Hasselback Butternut Squash recipe is the perfect dish to enjoy with your family and friends, sitting round the dinner table together in the warmth.

It's good food for everyone and such a quick recipe to put together!

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How delicious is Butternut Squash?

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My personal touch

Aesthetics are important when it comes to food and i feel quite accomplished because I have finally figured out how to make this Turkish and Iranian/Persian dessert look good. The only way was hasselback!

After peeling and cutting them open, I scooped up all the seeds and saved them to sow in spring and grow a field of butternut squash haha… Just kidding but a handful of them would be beautiful.

Finally I made liquid gold, with cinnamon, cardamom, butter, saffron, pinch of salt and of course maple syrup. I brushed this on 3 times, at 15 minute intervals until baked.

So back to food and aesthetics, what I really want to know is, would you try a recipe that you have seen on social media if it was not aesthetically pleasing?

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What makes this recipe special?

This Saffron, Butter and Maple Syrup glazed Hasselback Butternut Squash recipe is actually a combination of my hometown Iran and Turkey, kind of a hybrid between the two.

I've incorporated the butter, which was taken from the Turkish version of this delicious dessert, but also kept it very Iranian with the use of saffron :) Check out how to make this unique dessert the Turkish and Iranian way below!

Although cardamom and cinnamon spices are the spices of the season in the UK and many other countries around the world, they are also big staple spices from the Middle East and I absolutely love them! Cinnamon usually takes over when used in a recipe and cancels out the colour of the saffron but it's very interesting to see that in this recipe, the colour is not too faded and the aroma is 100% still there!

Scientifically, these two ingredients clash, but the aroma of both spices came through and filled me with such warmth.

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Deliciously satisfying Butternut squash

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Home Sweet Home

This recipe means so much to me as, not only do I love Autumn, but it's also a combination of Iran and Turkey, two countries I love very much.

Butternut Squash is the ultimate dessert throughout these coming months and made in such unique tasty ways . In Iran, they make a tasty dessert called Kadu Shirin. An entire butternut squash is used, but they don't peel the skin. It is kept just as it is, sliced and layered in a pot.

Of course in Iran, they love their desserts super sweet! The butternut squash is layered with generous tablespoons of sugar added in between every layer. For an entire butternut squash, one to two cups of water are used, and the pot is put on medium to low heat until the water boils, usually to a point where the water is almost fully dried up.. not completely gone so it burns the bottom, but enough so that the base completely caramelizes with the sugar.

For that added sweet taste, you can choose to add sugar on top, drizzle honey or sprinkle cinnamon powder and enjoy :)

Butternut Squash dessert in Turkey

In Turkey, the dessert is called Kabak Tatlisi and is made very much like in Iran, except, that the butternut squash is peeled fully, cut into 2cm slices and put on boil.

It is not boiled to a point that is is completely soft and mushy, only to a point where the butternut squash still holds together quite well. A frying pan is filled with butter where the butternut squash is fried with the butter, which OMG! tastes absolutely amazing!

You can top the dessert with a sprinkle of nuts, syrup, honey and cinnamon :)

Check out my healthy sweet treats for Autumn on my YouTube channel here.

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A sliced dessert that looks delicious and tastes even better

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What is the Hasselback way?

Hasselback is a cooking method where your butternut squash (or any vegetable really) is sliced, not all the way through, into thin and even layers. You can take advantage of the layers by stuffing them or topping them with any additional flavours you love, giving you much more space to get creative!

To start, cut your butternut squash in half, length ways and prep like you normally would by removing the seeds. What I like to do is put 2 skewer sticks either side of every half to not cut all the way down from top to bottom. When cutting, you want to try and cut even slices, about 3 - 5 mm apart for the entire squash remembering to not slice all the way through into your chopping board.

And voila, you have your hasselback butternut squash ready!

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Ingredients

• Butternut squash
• Unsalted butter
• Maple syrup
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground Cardamom
• Ground Saffron

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Step by Step

First, start by peeling your butternut squash and cutting into half length ways. Scoop out the seeds and put aside. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees.

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Put 2 skewers on either side of each half and slice it down hasselback style. Melt your butter to prepare for the mixture.

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Mix together the melted butter, cinnamon powder, cardamom powder and pinch of Saffron to make your mixture. Brush the mixture on top of the butternut squash and into the ridges as much as possible.

Put into your preheated oven for 15 minutes initially, then take it out and brush again with the same mixture. Put it back into the oven for another 15 minutes.

I did this 3 times in total, until the mixture was used up. It took about an hour in total but it depends on the size of your butternut squash, you'll know when your squash is ready when it is a lightly golden golden colour, not brown.

Serve up and enjoy this surprisingly delicious healthy dessert!

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What a way to satisfy your guests!

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The Organic Way

I used an organic butternut squash in this Saffron, Butter and Maple Syrup glazed Hasselback Butternut Squash recipe to save the seeds for April, when it's time to get busy with my gardening. When you cut your squash in half, length ways, scoop out the seeds and lay them out on a piece of parchment paper or grease proof paper to completely dry out.

Try not to touch them as much and do not wash or contaminate them with any chemicals or liquids. Once they've dried up, you can have a good feel of them and if you feel they are completely empty, it may be best to bin them as this is just the shell which is no good for us.

The seeds that do have something inside them, this is what we are keeping to plant when the time is right and watch them grow :)

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Frequently Asked Questions

If you do make this recipe, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It's my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you are all making.

And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments, or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I'd love to hear from you :)

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