Curried Butternut Squash Bisque

A couple weeks ago Good Things Utah posted this recipe for what I declared a perfect fall soup. Since the forecast called for a cold day and my hubby is actually in town, tonight was the night. The verdict: a very good soup, indeed! Don't be fooled by the fancy-schmancy name, it was not to difficult at all. This made enough for 6 good servings.

1 butternut squash
1 small onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 TBSP. fresh ginger, grated
2 TBSP. butter
1 TBSP. curry powder
1 quart vegetable broth (chicken broth or water can be substituted)
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
To taste salt and pepper (I used fresh nutmeg instead)

½ c. heavy cream
3 TBSP. maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash in half and scoop out the seeds. Place meat side down on a cookie sheet or sheet pan.

Add a half inch of water to the pan and slide into hot oven. Roast until squash is tender, about 1 hour (mine took about an hour and 15 minutes). Meanwhile, prepare the carrots, onions, celery and ginger. When the squash is tender take out of the oven and set aside to cool until you can safely handle it. (I wanted to prep this during nap time, so I cooked the squash, scooped out the insides and stored that in the fridge; chopped up all the veggies for easy assembly at dinner time). In your soup pot, melt the butter and add the vegetables and sweat until tender. When the vegetables are very tender stir in curry and add the vegetable broth and butternut squash simmer 20-30 minutes. Puree the whole mixture in a blender working in small batches (I used my handy immersion blender for much easier blending). Season to taste and finish with a bit of cream. When you plan on serving, whip cream with the maple syrup and a pinch of salt to stiff peaks. Ladle soup into bowls and top with a little of the maple cream (and a drizzle of maple syrup).

This was very tasty. Even our baby was lapping it up (hope it agrees with her tonight). We drizzled some Balsamic vinegar on our second bowls and liked that also, but the maple cream was heavenly! We served it with warm baguettes and a harvest salad and wished we'd invited company!