Custard-Filled Acorn Squash

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Wash the squash, remove the stem, cut in half from top to bottom, remove seeds and as much of the seed-cavity loose fibers as possible (a little remaining loose fiber won't hurt), and rinse the seed cavities with cold tap water.

Drain thoroughly, then slice a small piece off of the underside so that the squash half's open rim will sit level on a flat surface. Do not puncture the bowl which must hold the liquid that bakes into the custard. Set aside.

Whisk the egg and egg yolks until smooth but not frothy. Add the milk and other ingredients and thoroughly mix. Add just enough salt so that a little taste lets you taste the salt's presence -- not a lot.

Carefully fill the squash halves with the custard liquid to the rim. Place in a shallow baking dish, positioned so that the squash halves do not touch each other.

Pour a cup or so of boiling water into the baking dish, being careful not to get in into the custard. Any excess custard can be baked in a custard cup at the same time you are baking the squash/custard rather than wasted; the custard in the cup will cook faster than the custard in the squash shells though.

Put in the oven and bake until the custard is set. It should take between 1 hour 15 minutes and 1 hour 30 minutes, but it could take longer in some situations, depending on size of squash, volume of custard in the squash bowls, and so on.

Test the doneness of the squash by inserting a sharp knife vertically down through the custard and pulling it back out; if it comes out clean the custard is done, and so should the squash be.

Let set for about 10 minutes before serving. The custard will be smooth and soft, a finer texture even than Spanish flan and far more delicate than traditional American custard. It is mildly sweet, but not overpoweringly so.

This can be the main course of an elegant meal with a simple steamed vegetable and perhaps plain steamed brown basmati rice to accompany it.