Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
Soups of all sorts are welcomed this time of year. Butternut squash soup is a classic; it should be smooth and rich. This recipe is our take on the dish, and it’s definitely a soup you should consider for your next holiday dinner party.
It is a bit time consuming - probably taking a total of 2 hours to prepare and complete, so make sure you have enough time to make it. You can also make this soup the night before you intend to serve it.
You can certainly scale this recipe down some, as it serves about 10-12.
You'll need:
2 butternut squash
2 medium onions (yellow or white)
4-5 inches of fresh ginger
1 ½ cups of apple juice
3 ½ cups of milk
2 cups of cream
1/3 cup of brown sugar
2 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground cardamom
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 ¼ tsp salt + some for the squash
Ground black pepper for the squash
Garlic powder for the squash *
* Garlic powder is optional
Preheat your oven to 400 °F; set it to convection, if your oven has the option, to roast the squash more quickly.
Wash and cut the squash in half. Scoop the seeds and strands out. Prepare a cookie sheet, or baking tray with aluminum foil. Oil and season the squash halves generously with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Roast the squash halves orange flesh side up; you want the oil and natural sugars in the squash to caramelize, leaving you with a super flavorful base for your soup.
If you’re using a convection setting, check the squash after 45 minutes. For a regular oven setting, check the squash after an hour. It is possible that either method of baking will require more time. You’ll know the squash is done when you poke a fork into it, and the flesh yields without resistance. The squash should be nice and soft.
While the squash is roasting, chop your onions into quarters, then process the onions in a blender or food processor with a ½ cup of apple juice. Next, wash and peel the ginger:
It is quick and easy to peel ginger with the side edge of a spoon; Hold the ginger in one hand, and a spoon in the other. Hold the spoon at a 45 degree angle to the ginger, with the bowl of the spoon facing inward. Apply a little bit of pressure to the spoon, and gently rub at the skin. Once the ginger is peeled, rinse it to remove any leftover loose skin.
Grate the ginger into a small bowl using a fine grater or microplane. Squeeze the ginger juice into your bowl before disposing of the coarse and fibrous pulp. The result is a mass of smooth and juicy ginger paste.
Cook the onion and apple juice puree in a stock pot with a little bit of oil over high heat, until the liquid has cooked out. Add the ginger paste to the onion with 1 tbsp. of butter, and season lightly with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Reduce the heat to med-high, and cook until the mixture is caramelized. Remove from heat.
When the squash is done, remove the skin and puree the squash two halves at a time (if you have a full sized blender) with ½ cup of apple juice and 1 ½ cups of milk. Repeat for the other two halves.
Add the squash puree to the stock pot with the onion and ginger. Bring this up to a medium heat, until the mixture bubbles slightly. Add the 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1 tbsp. cinnamon, 2 tsp. cardamom, ½ tsp. nutmeg and 1 ¼ tsp. of salt. Stir in the remaining ½ cup of milk and 2 cups of cream. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Once everything is combined and hot, add 1 tbsp. of butter to finish the soup. Keep warm until serving time.
You can garnish with a sprinkling of cinnamon, a dollop of sour cream, or even whipped cream.
This spiced velvety soup is comforting, and it works beautifully as a first course or a meal!
- The Grey’s Posy Team