No soup speaks Autumn to me quite as much as a bowl of steaming hot, velvety smooth butternut squash soup. To me, it is about as “Fall” as a soup can get, especially served alongside freshly baked rolls. Make it a cold evening full of pumpkins and colorful leaves and I’m in Autumn heaven.
Who has pumpkins out on their front porch already? Come October and we’ll be taking the kids pumpkin picking at a local patch right up the road. I think once we have pumpkins on our porch it will really, truly feel like fall.
But this soup is definitely getting me in the mood.
HARVEST BUTTERNUT APPLE BISQUE
More than just a traditional butternut squash soup, this one features a whole slew of autumn veggies(and a fruit!) including parsnips, sweet potatoes, onion, and apple. The apple gives it just the right amount of sweetness.
I top this soup with crisped sage and brown butter. It takes it from really, really good to incredible.
A dollop of creme fraiche or sour cream also doesn’t hurt.
TO MAKE THE CRISPED SAGE AND BROWNED BUTTER:
Melt about 4 T. of butter in a saute pan on medium/high heat. as soon as the butter starts to foam, toss in a handful of fresh sage leaves and swirl the butter over them as they cook. The butter will start to smell nutty and turn a golden brown. As soon as the butter has browned, remove from heat so that it doesn’t burn. Remove the crispy sage leaves and place on a paper towel so that they don’t become soggy from sitting in the butter. Drizzle a spoonful of browned butter on top of each bowl of soup and top with a few sage leaves.
FOR PERFECTLY SMOOTH SOUP:
The one mistake I see the most with pureed soups is not blending them for long enough. Depending on the blender you use, it may take anywhere from 1-3 minutes to get the right texture. I use a Vitamix and I puree the soup for about 2 minutes to get an absolutely smooth, velvety texture. If your soup is still a little lumpy, try pureeing it a little longer, at a higher speed.
- 1 large Butternut Squash
- Olive Oil, for brushing
- 4 T. Butter
- 1 large Onion, chopped
- 1 Apple(I used Pink Lady), peeled, cored, and chopped
- 2 Parsnips, peeled and diced
- 1 Sweet Potato, peeled and diced
- 3 sprigs of Fresh Thyme, stems removed and discarded
- 1 t. Coarse Salt
- 8 C. Chicken Broth
- 1 C. Heavy Cream
- White pepper and more salt, for seasoning
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
- Cut the butternut squash in half, lengthwise and remove the seeds. Brush the cut sides of the squash with olive oil and place cut side down on a baking dish.
- Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until squash is tender.
- While the squash is baking, melt the butter in a large stock pot over medium/high heat. Add the onion, apple, parsnips, sweet potato, salt, and thyme. Saute for about 10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender. Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer.
- When the squash has finished cooking, remove it from the oven and cut away the skin. Be careful, it will be hot!
- Add the cooked squash the simmering soup and let simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Puree the soup in 2 batches using a blender. You can let the soup cool down before pureeing, if you like. If you puree it while its hot, take extra care to not let hot air build up in the blender. Vent as needed while pureeing. Puree until the soup is very smooth.
- Pour the pureed soup back into the stock pot. Add the cream and bring back to a simmer.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with browned butter and crisped sage.
Serve this soup with:
