With its lightly sweet yet rich flavor, Butternut Squash Soup is a real crowd pleaser. I love to serve it as a first course, sometimes spiced up a bit with a swirl of horseradish sour cream. With a salad and some freshly baked bread or homemade herbed crostini, it makes a delightful lunch or gentle supper.

If you make a lot of cream soups like I do, invest in an immersion blender. Instead of transferring batches of soup to and fro from pot to blender and back, simply blend the soup quickly and fully right in the pot.

Squash seeds can also be cleaned and roasted, just like pumpkin seeds, for a natural, healthy snack. Take a look at the recipe for Sweet and Smoky Pumpkin Seeds for inspiration.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash (approximately 3 to 3.5 pounds)
1 tart apple
4 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
⅓ cup flour
1 32-ounce package of vegetable broth
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon white pepper
1 tablespoon maple syrup
¼ teaspoon mace
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream
Sour cream and horseradish for garnish (optional)

Preparation:
Use a vegetable peeler to peel butternut squash. Slice in half and remove seeds. Chop into 1 to 2-inch cubes and set aside. Peel, core, and coarsely chop apple and set aside.

Melt butter in heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add shallot, and sauté until softened and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add flour, mixing into butter with back of wooden spoon. Slowly add vegetable broth, stirring constantly. Add chopped butternut squash, chopped apple, salt, pepper, maple syrup, mace and nutmeg. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until squash is tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Stir in heavy cream. Purée until smooth in blender or food-processor. Serve warm. Garnish with a teaspoon of sour cream mixed with horseradish, if you like.
Makes approximately 10 cups.