Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

 Sorry, no photo on this one guys. I know, it's sad. I'm sad, too. The kicker is, it was really, really pretty and would have made a great photo, with the juxtaposition of the white cream and the rich orange soup. Just make it for yourself and then you can look at the absolutely beautiful, autumnal (I know it's still 90 degrees outside, but ask anyone who knows me, and they'll tell you I've always been rather obsessively punctual) bowl of gently spiced, just-a-little-sweet goodness.

The whipped cream topping gives it kind of a fun presentation, I thought, but take a word of advice from someone who's done this before; put it in at the last possible second, because it melts quickly in the hot soup. However, even after it's melted, the white swirls with the cinnamon are beautiful.

Butternut Squash & Apple Soup

• 2 pounds butternut squash, diced to 1 inch cubes
• 1 large Macintosh apple, diced to 1 inch cubes
• 1 large sweet, yellow onion, diced to 1 inch cubes
• olive oil for drizzling
• salt & pepper
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 0.5 cup apple cider
• 1 cup whipping cream, divided
• 1.5 teaspoons cinnamon, divided
• 0.25 teaspoon nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Place the squash, apples, and onions in a roasting pan. Drizzle with the olive oil, and cover with salt and pepper. Stir them all to evenly coat the vegetables. Place in the oven for 45 minutes.

While the vegetables are cooking, bring the chicken stock to a boil (reserve about 2/3 a cup to deglaze the roasting pan), then reduce to simmer. Once the vegetables are done roasting, add them to the simmering chicken stock. If there are browned bits of veggies stuck to the pan, add the reserved chicken stock and stir to remove them, then add them back to soup on the stove.

Using a hand blender, or in a blender or food processor in batches, puree the soup to a very smooth consistency. Add the apple cider, 0.5 cup of the cream, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the nutmeg to the soup, and puree (or stir) until smooth and incorporated. The the soup just barely simmer for a few minutes.

Meanwhile, whip the remaining 0.5 cup of cream and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Serve the soup with a dollop of the cinnamon cream.