Scalloped Butternut Squash - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (rounded 1/2 tsp)
5 1/2 - 6 lbs butternut squash
5 ounces oka cheese (1 1/3 cups) or 5 ounces mild cheddar cheese, rind discarded and cheese coarsely grated (1 1/3 cups)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 sprigs fresh thyme

Preparation

Put oven rack in lower 1/3 of oven and preheat oven to 35o degrees F.
Generously butter a 9 by 13 inch glass baking dish (3 quart capacity).
Cut off necks of squash, reserving for another use (you will have about 3 lbs necks). Peel squash and very thinly slice with a slicer.
Layer 1/3 of the squash slices, overlapping, in baking dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat layering until all squash, salt and pepper, and cheese are in the dish. There will be no cheese on top, but do add salt and pepper to the final squash layer.
Bring cream and thyme sprigs to a simmer in a small saucepan over moderate heat. Discard thyme and pour cream evenly over squash.
Put a sheet of parchment paper over squash and poke a few holes in it with a knife. Bake squash until tender, about 45 minutes.
Discard parchment and let squash stand about 10 minutes before serving.