Butternut Squash Purée with Orange, Ginger, and Honey

As a continuation to my Thanksgiving Recipes I am moving on to side dishes.  I love Butternut Squash and when you bake it in the oven it comes out creamy and delicious.  There are so many things you can do with it.  One of my favorite things is this side dish because it is orangey and sweet from the honey.

I usually don’t like to mix sweet with my food but this is an exception and this is as far as sweet as I will go with my side dishes.  I love it and usually this is the side dish I end up eating the most of.

The original recipes comes from Bon Appétit November 2002 Magazine but I have now had this dish for a few years and it is always a big hit.

Butternut Squash Purée with Orange, Ginger, and Honey

Yield:  8 servings | Prep Time:  70 minutes

5 pounds butternut squash, each cut in half lengthwise, seeded (about 2 very large)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
2 tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp grated orange peel
1 tsp grated lemon peel
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Place squash, cut side down, on prepared sheet. Bake until squash are very tender when pierced with fork, about 50 minutes. Cool slightly. Scoop out pulp from squash and place in processor. Using on/off turns, puree pulp until smooth. Transfer squash puree to bowl.

Combine butter, orange juice concentrate, honey, ginger, and orange peel in heavy small saucepan. Boil until mixture is reduced to 1/3 cup, about 3 minutes. Stir mixture into squash puree. Mix in lemon peel, cinnamon, and allspice. Season generously with salt and pepper.

(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat, stirring often, or cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high until heated through, about 5 minutes.)

Transfer to bowl and serve.

Other Thanksgiving Recipes:

Cranberry and White Chocolate Streusel Bars
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Frosting
Butternut Sqaush Apple Soup
Sweet Potato Soup