Lose Your Gourd Over Party-Perfect Squash Fondue

Forget about all those boring cheese-fondue bowls. Instead, use a squash to serve your melty goodness. They make the perfect vessels, and on top of that, they’re edible. We’ll share a recipe for baked squash, which is easy to make and goes perfectly with the fondue. Rest assured that your guests will love it!

Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Fondue Experience

If you’re wondering what to dip in your cheese fondue, we recommend trying radishes, endive leaves, rainbow carrots, or small crostini. Whatever you choose, you want something crunchy that will take your gooey cheese fondue experience to the next level. Also, once you’re done with the cheese fun, you can enjoy your squash vessel as an extra treat.

To get a cheese pull, bake the cheese in the squash until you get 140-150°F on an instant-read thermometer. Also, when you melt the cheese, don’t increase the heat, as it won’t speed up the process. Simply keep an eye on it and stop adding cheese when you see the mixture is about to break. Remove it from the heat, blend with an immersion blender until you get a smooth texture, and return it to low heat. Then, continue adding more cheese. It’s a good idea not to prepare the squash more than three hours in advance.

How to Make Squash Fondue

Ingredients

4 medium acorn squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
8 ounces Comté cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
8 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated (about 2 cups)
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon dry white vino
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
Crudités of choice, sliced apples, pretzel crisps, and more, for serving

Directions

Start by preheating the oven to 500°F. Make a flat base on the bottom of each squash by trimming off about 1 inch from the top and about 1/4 inch from the bottom of each squash. Hollow out the squash and get rid of any seeds and stringy bits. Drizzle olive oil on the insides and sprinkle with salt.
Place the squash on parchment paper upside down and roast in the oven until the flesh is slightly tender but still in proper shape. Then, remove from the oven and turn the squash upright. Let it cool for 15 minutes and reduce temperature to 450°F.
Combine the cheese and flour and set aside. Let the heavy cream simmer over medium heat. Whisk often until the texture gets slightly thickened and reduced by half. Add milk, kirsch, garlic, and pepper. Reduce heat to low. Then, start adding about ¼ cup of the flour-coated cheese at a time, whisking constantly. Once your cheese is fully melted, you can season it with salt and pepper.
Carefully pour the fondue into the squash cavities, but don’t fill them to the top. Bake at 450°F for about 12-15 minutes. Serve hot with crudités and additional sides.