Soups On!

When getting together with family and friends for soup celebrations
we've enjoyed so many different and wonderful flavors.  Each experience

has been memorable.  I love exchanging recipes and expanding my culinary

palate.  I'm posting my favorite rendition of one of my favorite soups.  My

friend Candace gave me this recipe.  Enjoy! 

Roasted Butternut Squash Pear Soup

3-4 lb Butternut Squash peeled, cubed
4T. butter

4 fresh Bosch pears, peeled, cubed

1  medium sweet onion chopped

1 stalk fresh Rosemary

1 quart chicken stock

1/2 cup heavy cream

Spices for roasting squash:
3 T. Olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp  ground curry

1/4 tsp ground cumin

In a stock pot melt butter and cook onions until soft and tender.  Add pears to onions and sautee for 3 minutes stirring often.  Add chicken stock and rosemary stalk.  Simmer until pears are very soft and come apart easily.  Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 425 degrees.  Place olive oil, roasting rub and cubed squash in a bowl and toss, coating the squash well.  Spread squash in one layer on a cookies sheet line with parchment paper and roast for 25-30 minutes or until fork tender.
Note: smaller cubes roast faster.

Remove squash from cookie sheet and put directly in soup mixture and continue to simmer for another ten minutes.  Remove rosemary stalk from pot.  Pour soup in small batches into a blender or food processor (fitted with metal blade) and puree until smooth.  Add heavy cream and stir.  Adjust seasonings if needed.  Pour into a soup tureen and serve hot.

*Note: You may garnish the soup in bowls with a dollop of Creme Frache sweetened with honey, sprinkled with sugared pecan halves. DELISH!!

LET'S TOP IT OFF

Sugared Pecans

1 egg white

1T.water

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups pecan halves

1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Put sugar, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a plastic bag, shake to mix.
Put egg, water and vanilla in a bowl.  Beat until slightly foamy, add pecans and coat well.
Lift pecans out of bowl with a slotted spoon and put into the bag of sugar and spices.  Shake pecans in bag making sure they are well coated.  Bake 15 minutes on a cookie sheet lined with slightly oiled aluminun foil. Stir the pecans and bake an additional 15 minutes.  Let cool completely before serving.  Makes 2 cups.