Baked Acorn Squash With Cranberry-Orange Compote

1 acorn squash (about 24 ounces), cut into quarters, seeds removed

1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup

¼ cup butter

½ teaspoon salt, or as needed

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, or as needed

For the Cranberry-Orange Compote

5 cups whole cranberries, fresh or frozen

¾ cup orange juice

½ cup sugar, or as needed

2 ounces orange zest, blanched

Salt, as needed

Ground black pepper, as needed

Place the squash, cut sides up, on a baking sheet. Sprinkle each piece with the honey, maple syrup or sugar. Divide the butter into 4 pieces and place 1 piece onto each quarter. Season with salt and pepper.

Cover the squash with foil and bake in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking, basting periodically, until tender, about 15 minutes more. Top each portion of squash with Cranberry-Orange Compote and serve on a heated plate.

For the compote: Combine the cranberries, juice, and enough water to barely cover the berries in a medium sauce pan. Add the sugar and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer until the berries are softened and the liquid is thickened.

Stir in the orange zest. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

Serves 4, the compote makes about 2 cups

Nutrition information per serving of the baked acorn squash: 158 calories; 103 calories from fat; 12 g fat (7 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 31 mg cholesterol; 296 mg sodium; 15 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 1 g protein.

Nutrition information per serving of the compote: 154 calories; 2 calories from fat; 0 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 77 mg sodium; 42 g carbohydrate; 7 g fiber; 27 g sugar; 1 g protein.

From The Culinary Institute of America's cookbook, "Cooking at Home"