Perfect Pair: Creamy Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients

• have a party and carve pumpkins and serve warm cider and soup. You can
• Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
• 2 cups butternut squash: peeled, lg dice
• 1/2 cup carrot: peeled, lg dice
• 1/2 cup celery: lg dice
• 1/2 cup leeks: greens, rough chop
• 1/2 Granny Smith apple: peeled, lg dice
• ~2 tablespoons fresh ginger: sliced
• ~4 cloves of garlic: peeled,
• smashed
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground
• nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1 cup + 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 3-4 cups chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon chives: fine chop
• Butter
• Sweat the leeks in some butter and a pinch of salt in a
• pan on low heat. As they begin to soften (~5 minutes or so), then add celery.
• Sweat for another 5 minutes, then add carrots & butternut squash. Then add
• the apple. Continue to sweat and then add garlic. Then add slices of fresh
• ginger (You could use other forms of ginger if you didn’t have fresh on hand.)
• Add chicken stock (homemade is best) to barely cover the vegetables. Add a pinch
• of salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and a little cardamom. Cover the pan for 15 to 20
• minutes and then remove the lid and continue to cook until 50% of the liquid is
• evaporated. Then add ½ cup of cream. Put the soup in a blender and blend on a
• high speed until it is completely smooth. Next pass it through a chinoise using
• a ladle (fine mesh strainer.) Warm the soup again and taste it. Adjust
• seasonings accordingly. You may want to add more salt at the end for flavor. Top
• with butter.
• Meanwhile, prepare the topping. Add 1/4 cup of cream to
• 1/2 cup of sour cream— blend thoroughly. Season, if necessary — if you add
• pepper, keep it white pepper. Add to squeeze bottle (if you have one) and leave
• in fridge until serving.
• Serve. Ladle
• the creamy soup into bowls, squirt topping into fun zig-zag shape, top with
• chives. You can also add some crunch by frying carrot peelings at 350 degrees or