Spaghetti Squash: Never on Sundae?

Now I ask you.

Why, when I mentioned my idea of a spaghetti squash dessert--saucing it with dark chocolate and topping it with whipped cream--did friends respond, “No way!”

These same friends have no problem sprinkling brown sugar over banana squash before baking it. Or cutting an acorn squash in half and making pools of maple syrup in the centers. Or mashing the orange flesh of Hubbard squash and sweetening it with nutmeg and honey. If they lived in Italy, they’d think nothing of mixing winter squash with candied fruits and topping it with whipped cream for dessert. If they lived in France, they’d bake chunks of winter squash and apples with butter and cinnamon for dessert, they’d serve hot pumpkin pudding with brandy and lemon zest, they’d make pumpkin cake.

And they’re mad about pumpkin pie. Remember, pumpkin is simply a glorified winter squash.

“I think savory foods should stay savory and sweet foods should stay sweet,” said one friend of my notion.

“I guess it’s just prejudice,” admitted another.

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A third friend just kept laughing. The next day, when she came over and tasted two bites of my dessert, she looked at me, at first bewildered, then astonished. She broke into a grin and just kept eating.

In Mother Nature’s collection of winter squashes, drum-shaped buttercups, with their superbly rich orange flesh, command respect. Turban squashes, although not fine eating, are cherished for their beauty. Of course, pumpkins are legendary, bound up with fairy tales and feasts. But spaghetti squashes--simple ovals and sunny yellow inside and out--are the family clowns.

Kids love them. Not only does the flesh separate amusingly into a jillion strands, but the strands are crisp-crunchy--fun to eat. And the flavor is so bland it slips into the background when combined with other tastes. Spaghetti squash invites invention.

So I accepted the invitation.

It’s a new year. Lots of ground to be broken. Eating can be humdrum or spirited. My dessert may seem wacky, but just wait! Make it soon for adventurous spirits:

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On a dessert plate, arrange a bright heap of spaghetti squash strands flavored with amaretto. Spoon over the most luscious (and easily prepared) amaretto’d chocolate sauce imaginable. Top with a plop of vanilla-flavored whipped cream and sprinkle with toasted almond slices. Everyone will love the delicacy--how the almond-flavored liqueur enhances squash and chocolate, how the crispiness of the strands and slivers of almonds complement one another, how the velvety sauce and whipped cream envelop it all.

In its clownish ways, spaghetti squash is readily adapted to every way with spaghetti and every way with squash except mashing. The other night, in a mood for something Mediterranean, I heaped halves of black and pimiento-stuffed green olives over spaghetti squash with pieces of canned plum tomatoes with basil and lots of roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley and freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top. In the past, I’ve blended a Spanish pea stew into spaghetti squash with success: Peas with chunks of cooked chicken, diced artichoke hearts, chopped ham, garlic and parsley. Caponata, the Sicilian relish of eggplant, onions, celery, capers, green olives and pine nuts in tomato sauce sharpened with wine vinegar and sugar, is marvelous saucing spaghetti squash (caponata can be found in jars at international groceries).

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The easiest way to cook a small- to medium-size winter squash is to pierce it in several places with a sharp knife (essential for letting out the steam building inside as it cooks). Set whole in a baking dish and bake at 350 degrees until tender, 1 to 1 3/4 hours. Don’t overcook spaghetti squash: Rather than melting softness, you want the strands to remain slightly crisp.

A fussier way to cook the squash but probably best for spaghetti squash is cutting it in half raw and removing the seeds. It’s hard to find the seeds when this squash is cooked--they sink into the spaghetti--and the squash cools while you’re hunting. And you’re not as likely to roast the seeds once you’ve already had the oven going for an hour. Squash seeds are nourishing and delicious morsels and you can bake them at the same time. Just be sure to have a strong sharp knife for cutting through the hard shell and stem--hunt up an extra pair of hands for safety’s sake.

To serve hot, turn the squash quick as you can into a hot serving dish, tease the strands apart, mix in the sauce, then race to the table.

Cool spaghetti squash (in addition to being a base for a dessert) is delicious as a pastalike salad with chopped green onions, whatever fresh herbs are on hand, diced pimientos and vinaigrette dressing. You can dress it further by adding everything from cold seafood to toasted walnuts to ribbons of winter greens.

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If you grew a spaghetti squash vine or two last summer, chances are you’re still enjoying the fruits of your crop. These squashes keep through winter into early spring. Given full sun and well-drained fertile soil on the moist side, these squashes practically grow themselves. They’re handsome ambling here and there at the edge of the border, with their large green leaves and big gold blossoms. If you’re short of space, train the vine up on a sturdy post, supporting the squashes with slings of cotton. Or grow it in a five-gallon container two feet deep. Sow seeds when the soil is warm in spring. Harvest in autumn when the stalks begin to shrivel and the shell can’t be pierced with a thumbnail--before danger of frost, if you have it. There are hybrid spaghetti squashes, but for my money, old-fashioned generic squashes are the ones to grow. You can save their seeds and grow them again the next year, and the next and the next.

As for my dessert, still another friend said about it, “Well, this proves that there is something new under the sun!”

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Sources

Fresh: At markets through February or March.

Seeds: The Redwood City Seed Company, Box 361, Redwood City, Calif. 94064.

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While pleasant on their own tossed with olive oil or butter, like flour-and-water pasta, strands of spaghetti squash are really a means for devouring delectable sauces and toppings. Although they contain less than one-fourth the protein of pasta, squash strands have 29% of the calories, one-third the carbohydrates, and 22 times the fiber, with a tad of Vitamin C in the bargain. Compared to even low-fat frozen yogurt as the base of a splurge of a dessert, the numbers are even more splendid: 25% of the calories, 20% of the fat, 30% of the carbohydrates.

This is an easy dessert to make, and everything can be prepared in advance. So that the strands on the plate will be light and dry, the trick is to flavor them, then squeeze out all moisture--don’t worry about losing the amaretto. The squash absorbs the flavorings quickly and retains them.

CHOCOLATE AND AMARETTO SPAGHETTI SQUASH SUNDAE

1 (3-pound) spaghetti squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeded

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

3 tablespoons amaretto liqueur

3/4 cup slivered almonds

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Amaretto-Chocolate Sauce

Set squash halves cut-sides-down in large baking dish and add 1/2 inch water. Bake squash on middle oven rack at 350 degrees until soft, about 45 minutes.

Use tongs to turn squash cut-sides-up and bake 20 to 30 more minutes. With fork, pull strands into mixing bowl. Leave soft flesh lining rind behind.

Sprinkle sugar, salt and amaretto over squash. With 2 forks, pull strands apart and toss like spaghetti to blend. Turn mixture into strainer and press out liquid, then squeeze strands with hands until dry. Discard liquid. Return strands to bowl and again fluff with forks. Lay plastic wrap on squash and refrigerate up to 24 hours. Bring to cool room temperature before serving.

Up to 8 hours before serving, cook almonds in large heavy dry skillet over medium-high heat, shaking and stirring, until almonds are walnut-brown.

Up to 2 hours before serving, in bowl whip cream and vanilla together until stiff. Refrigerate whipped cream if made ahead, then beat again before serving.

Divide squash among 6 dessert plates, about 1/2 cup each. Tease strands into airy spaghetti-like heap. Dollop with whipped cream, drizzle 2 tablespoons Amaretto-Chocolate Sauce over cream on each serving and sprinkle with toasted almonds. Serve at once, passing remaining sauce in small pitcher. Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

574 calories; 376 mg sodium; 86 mg cholesterol; 42 grams fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 7 grams protein; 3.47 grams fiber.

Amaretto-Chocolate Sauce

5 ounces sweet chocolate

1 ounce unsweetened chocolate

1/2 cup less 1 tablespoon water

5 tablespoons amaretto liqueur

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

Chop sweet and unsweetened chocolate into small pieces. Turn into heavy 2-quart saucepan with water and amaretto. Stir over low heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Do not boil.

Remove from heat and cut in butter in thin flakes. Stir until butter melts. Cover and refrigerate until needed, up to 2 days in advance. To thicken quickly, set in freezer about 15 minutes.

To serve, warm sauce at MEDIUM (50%) power in microwave or over very low heat on stove. Sauce should be glossy with no trace of graininess. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Each 1/4-cup serving contains about:

258 calories; 33 mg sodium; 31 mg cholesterol; 19 grams fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 0.12 gram fiber.