Growing up in Kentucky and always having fresh garden vegetables in the summer and early fall, squash was one of those vegetables that was always around! It was a favorite to use in many dishes, soup was my favorite way to enjoy it or just roasted in oven with a little brown sugar and butter. Also in the fall apples were everywhere, we had trees all over. The best apples to fry are ones that are harder or hardy so they can hold up to being fried and not get mushy. I used Pink Lady apples for the garnish for this soup, my mom always fried apples growing up so to me butternut squash and apples just go together. I have also finished this soup with crème fraiche and fried sage but this version already has cream in it so I don’t feel the need to add, but you certainly could! This soup just says fall to me, along with pumpkin pies and falling leaves. This is a great soup to serve anytime but especially in the fall, and is always a crowd pleaser!
Roasted butternut squash soup topped with fried apples
Ingredients
- 1 medium size butternut squash, ends cut off, cut in half and seeded
- 4 cloves of garlic roasted
- 4 cups good chicken stock, or vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoon butter, salted
- 1 large carrot cut up in small pieces
- 1 large shallot cut up in small slices
- 10 fresh sage leaves cut up
- ¼ teaspoon of each,
- White pepper
- Black pepper
- Fresh grated nutmeg
- Smoked paprika
- Cayenne
- Kosher salt to taste
- Apples
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ cup cooking sherry
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 large pink lady apple
- 2 tablespoons good olive oil
- Bread for toasting, its fun to cut out in a round shape or strips, or even a leaf shape! This will garnish the soup, along with the fried apples.
Instructions
Using cookie sheet place cut squash cut side up to start,
olive oil, salt and pepper, roast about 30 minutes, then turn over for about
another 25 minutes cut side down, depending on size of your squash they can
take up to an hour. Take out cover with foil and let cool in order to handle.
Roast garlic along with squash , wrap in foil, salt and
pepper, it will not take as long as the squash, it will only need about 35
minutes total. Remove and let cool, set a side.
In Dutch oven, saute carrots, shallots, cut up the fresh
sage leaves add to pot, add 2 tablespoons of the butter, 1 tablespoon of olive
oil, add rest of ingredients through Worcestershire sauce, saute till carrots
and shallots are tender. Once squash is cooked and cooled using spoon scrape
squash from skin and add to pot along with the roasted and skinned garlic, once
the garlic is cooled you can push it out easily. Let these flavors cook for
about 15 minutes, using immersion blender, blend till smooth and no chunks
remain, then add the cream in, turn down heat and let simmer, stirring often,
season to taste.
Add the other tablespoon butter, a bit more olive oil, cut
up peeled apple in slices, saute till tender and golden brown, toast bread cut
in shape if desired, add the apples on top for garnish, also a few small sage
leaves will complete the look and taste!! Enjoy!
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