Butternut Squash Soup with Spiced Cream

I'm kind of on a pumpkin/squash kick right now. Aside from all of the pumpkin goodies I've made, last week I made pumpkin risotto and yesterday I made this butternut squash soup. I started off by taking my halved (and cleaned) butternut squash and placing it onto a foil-line baking sheet. I brushed the halves with some olive oil and sprinkled them with sugar. I roasted them in the oven for 45 minutes at 400 degrees (time and temp will vary based on the size of your squash). I knew they were done after I had poked them at their thickest part with a knife, it should feel like your cutting into soft butter. I diced them up, set them aside and prepped the rest of my ingredients. Then it was just a matter of letting everything simmer for 20 minutes and immersion blending it all. Easy, right?! I wanted to add a little extra something to it, so I broke out my KitchenAid and made some spiced whipped cream. This is optional, but I think you'll find that it really helps to balance out the sweetness of the soup. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Soup with Spiced Cream

Ingredients

1 butternut squash, halved, roasted and diced into 1" chunks

½ of a medium yellow onion, diced

3½ c. chicken broth

¼ c. heavy cream

2 tbsp. butter

½ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. thyme

¹⁄₈ tsp. cayenne pepper

¼ tsp. ground black (or white) pepper

¼ tsp. sea salt

Juice of ½ a lemon

Spiced whipped cream:

½ c. heavy cream

¹⁄₈ tsp. cayenne pepper

pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat, melt butter. When butter is hot, add onion and cook until it becomes translucent. Add cooked squash and allow to cook for 3-4 minutes. 

2. Pour in chicken stock and bring to a low boil. Season with ginger, thyme, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt. Allow mixture to cook for 20 minutes before removing from heat and immersion blending (or you can use a blender and puree it in batches). The soup should be smooth. Add in heavy cream, set over low heat while preparing the spiced whipped cream.

3. To make the spiced whipped cream, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, add cream, salt and cayenne pepper. Beat on high for 2-3 minutes or until stiff peaks form. Place a dollop in each bowl of soup. Serve immediately. 

Stephen + Natalie | Makes approximately 6 servings