Butternut Squash Soup
from Carolyn, 5/6/03:
Here's the recipe -- from an old blog entry:
Two butternut squash, seeded and halved but not peeled
3 apples, pref a tart variety, cored but not peeled
5 large shallots outer husky peel removed
several sprigs rosemary
(several cloves garlic, unpeeled -- I didn't use these this time, but thought the soup needed a bit of roasted garlic. Leave it out if you don't trust me).
Roast the above veggies in a lightly oiled and covered roasting pan at 375 for about an hour or until the veggies are tender.
Bring 6 cups chicken stock to a simmer.
Scoop out the squash from the peel (its best to let it cool a bit), and puree it in a food processor with the apples (just leave the peel on), and the shallots. Add some cream to get everything moving. Puree in batches. Pour into stock. Discard roasted rosemary, but chop another teaspoon or two fresh rosemary along with some fresh thyme. Add to soup. Add salt -- it will need a bit to make it not too sweet. Add a dash of nutmeg, and some white pepper. Now, if you are having the low fat version, leave it alone and serve, perhaps adding a spash of hard or regular cider. If you want a richer version, add one cup creme fraiche or sour cream, or half and half, shortly before serving and do NOT let it boil.