Roasted Acorn Squash with Mascarpone, Toasted Squash Seeds, Brown Butter & Black Pepper (inspired by Betto)Last night Mardi from Sprout & Pea and I had a menu brainstorming session over dinner at Betto for our upcoming Kitchensurfing dinner party. Not only did we sample half of Betto’s menu, but we also came up with some delicious recipe ideas.
1 Acorn Squash2 heaping Tbsp Mascarpone Cheese (room temp)2 Tbsp unsalted ButterFresh Black PepperSalt3-4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Scoop out the seeds and innards and set aside. Cut the squash in half and peel the outside skin with a vegetable peeler and/or knife (those crevices are tricky!) Cut the squash into 1 1/2 inch rings and then cut rings into thirds. Toss squash in olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Spread one layer thick on a baking pan and roast on the bottom rack until golden brown (flip occasionally).
In a colander, wash squash seeds clean. Toss in olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Roast in the oven on a baking pan until brown. They will start to pop once when they get too hot, so remove from oven, stir to cool down and put back in the oven until they’re the color you want.In a pan, melt butter on low medium/heat. Milk solids will begin to brown. Remove from heat.Assemble roasted squash on a platter and top with mascarpone. Drizzle with brown butter, sprinkle with toasted seeds and freshly ground black pepper. Serve hot.