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Hélloïse Tuyéras, our friend and a frequent source of toys, household objects and clothes for the children, makes this recipe often in winter, when apples and squash are both at their best. It is sweet and irresistible – when there are leftovers they get eaten, slightly warmed, for breakfast!

Héloïse prefers to steam the squash, as do I, but it can be roasted as well, which gives another dimension to its flavour.

3 kuri or acorn or other small, dense-fleshed squash,

about 3¹/₂ lb (1.75kg), trimmed, peeled, seeds removed and cut into 2-inch (5cm) pieces

1 tbs (¹/₂ oz/15g) unsalted butter

1³/₄ lb (875g) tart cooking apples, cored, peeled and cut in eighths

For the béchamel:

1¹/₂ cups (12 fl oz/375ml) whole milk

2 dried bay leaves

3 tbs (1¹/₂ oz/45g) unsalted butter

2 tbs (¹/₂ oz/15g) plain flour

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly ground nutmeg to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C/gas 8). Butter a 9- × 14- × 2-inch (22.5 × 35 × 5cm) baking dish.

2. Bring 3 cups (1¹/₄ pints/750ml) water to a boil in the bottom half of a steamer. Place the squash over the steamer and steam until it is tender, about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer the squash to the bowl of a food processor. Purée the squash, and reserve. If the squash is at all liquid, transfer it to a fine-mesh sieve and let it drain for 30 minutes. Transfer the squash purée to a medium-sized bowl.