Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

This Roasted Butternut and Apple Soup is a perfect fall soup. Roasted garlic added a gentle savory flavor. White wine and apple juice was had just the right acidity to brighten the flavor of this soup. Yukon Gold potatoes thickened the soup. A pinch of curry powder added subtle savory flavor. The soup had a silky texture with a beautiful fall orange.

Butternut squash has been one of my greatest challenges to overcome my mindset that I didn’t like it.  For some reason, it always left a bitter and overpowering flavor in my mouth.  I’ve tried making recipes from butternut squash lasagna to slathering it with buckets of honey (well, not quite but I gave it a go).  My palate rejected it, but I didn’t give up.

Back in the day, food bloggers were lucky enough to be invited to attend  the Foodbuzz Blogger Festival, in San Francisco.  (Sadly, this festival is only a memory, and no longer offered.) However, there was a tasting of these two products at the Tyler Florence Booth at the Taste Pavilion– which is where 350 food bloggers (including lucky “me”) spent last Saturday. We were at the Metreon Theater in San Francisco to sample lots of sweet and savory dishes from purveyors. I stopped at the Tyler Florence booth and this is what I saw…

If it’s a Tyler Florence recipe, is a pretty safe bet that it’s going to be good.  I took a sample taste, and I liked it!  Butternut squash and apple go perfectly together.  I also liked the shortbread. So, I made a mental note that I would try making my own version of this squash and apple pairing that works so well. After researching dozens of recipes (and, no, this recipe is not on Tyler’s websites. Of course it isn’t! He sells this!)

I was pleasantly surprised to find this bag of prepared butternut squash at Trader Joe’s. The price was just a tad more than buying a fresh squash.  After careful consideration, I decided that repeating the rubber mallet hitting the chef’s knife, after peeling butternut squash didn’t thrill me at all. After all, I had no idea if I was going to like my idea, so I decided to enjoy a shortcut by someone else doing the hard work. 

Most soup recipes use raw apples and vegetables and cook them in the broth. There isn’t a thing wrong with that! But, after the success I had in making a Roasted Carrot-Ginger Soup, I decided that roasting the squash and the apples might kick up the flavor a few notches.  I do think that roasting vegetables brings out a nuttier and richer flavor. So, that’s what I decided to do:

First, line a baking sheet with foil (parchment paper will do, too).  Season the squash with coarse salt & some freshly cracked pepper.  Last, drizzle a bit of olive oil and toss the squash to coat it evenly.

I am loving this Apple Peeler-Corer-Slicer! In 10 seconds I peeled two apples. One was a Granny Smith and the other was a Gala apple.  I drizzled a little olive oil but decided not to season them.  But I didn’t want the garlic to overpower the flavor I was hoping my soup would be, so I wrapped 4 cloves of garlic and drizzled with a little bit of olive oil.  Once the garlic was tucked in with foil, it was added on the same baking sheet as the apples.  Why two baking sheets?  I guessed the the squash would take longer to become fork tender.  The squash and garlic was roasted at 375F for about 20 minutes. The apples got 15 minutes.

I make a lot of soups.  My soup holy trinity is typically onion, carrots and celery (mire poix). But, I wanted this soup to be different. I debated between using shallots or leeks. I decided I would use Leek-zilla. This leek was 9″ long (after cutting off the green ends) and it looked like a weapon!

Cut the whole leek and cut them into half-moons. Most are stored for another use, and set aside a handful… about a cup to a cup-and-a-half.

I had a gallon of fresh pressed gala apple cider, with no sugar added.  Measure 1/2 cup of juice and add some white wine for some acidity.    Last, add 1 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth.  (You could also use vegetable stock, to keep this vegetarian.) I figured I could always add more, but this was a good start.  The roasted garlic was squeezed and cooled. I cut some fresh thyme from our garden. Sage would have been delicious, but my beloved plant had died:

To make a “bouquet garni”, simply, I wrap two bay leaves around fresh thyme. I save rubber bands that come with celery (or you could use kitchen twine).  Why a bouquet garni? It makes removing the herbs so much easier.   You could chop the thyme, sure. But I didn’t want to see specks of green in my soup. Minor details, I know. 

The prep work took about 45 minutes, but most of it was waiting for the veggies to roast. It’s time to Psoup!  Once again, I put a little olive oil and one pat of unsalted butter into a Dutch oven. Cook the leeks until they are just tender– 2-3 minutes.  I almost forgot! I like to use a potato to thicken my soups. It’s a little trick I learned that works great.  Dice one small Yukon Gold potato, unpeeled.

Next, I added the roasted garlic  You could use fresh garlic, but be careful that it doesn’t burn. Cook it for 30 seconds, or until fragrant. To me, roasted garlic takes on a lovely sweet and nutty flavor.  Try it, sometime.

Next, I added the roasted butternut squash, the roasted apples, the white wine and the unsweetened apple cider…

Last, add the potatoes, chicken broth and the bouquet garni. Cover the pot and let the soup simmer, on low, for about 30 minutes.  Remove the herbs and toss them.  Now you can use a blender to puree this, in portions. But, why?

This immersion blender is one of my favorite kitchen tools. Isn’t it easier to puree soups in the pot you cooked it? I think so!

 The soup is fairly thick. This is all a matter of personal preference. Now to taste for seasonings…

My first taste was surprisingly good.  The soup wasn’t bitter at all. Whew! A little more salt was needed, though. The apple flavor was evident, and I was glad that I didn’t add nearly as much apple cider as most other recipes did.  My husband sampled it and he said it was good, but the sweet was a little more than the savory.  I decided to gamble and to add a little bit of curry powder.

Ladies and gentleman– I present to you Roasted Butternut & Apple Soup with a light curry. It’s healthy, too.

TASTING NOTES:  This soup is not bitter, in the least.  It’s creamy and it doesn’t have my beloved heavy cream.  The acidity of the white wine and apple cider, balances out the savory of the butternut squash.  The curry marries the sweet and savory with a very subtle “what is the wonderful flavor” in the background.  My husband and son liked it. I’m taking some to work tomorrow and looking forward to it. I did make shortbread crackers, which were outstanding, too!

I thank Tyler Florence’s delicious soup sample that trained my palate to LIKE butternut squash. 

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Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

This Roasted Butternut and Apple Soup is a perfect fall soup. Roasted garlic added a gentle savory flavor. White wine and apple juice was had just the right acidity to brighten the flavor of this soup. Yukon Gold potatoes thickened the soup. A pinch of curry powder added subtle savory flavor. The soup had a silky texture with a beautiful fall orange.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Soup

Keyword: Butternut Squash, Butternut Squash and Apple Soup, Butternut Squash Soup

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 111kcal

Author: Debby – www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Ingredients

For the roast garlic (optional)

• 1 head garlic
• 1 drizzle olive oil

For the soup:

• 4-5 cups butternut squash peeled and diced
• 2 small apples peeled, cored and cut into chunks (Granny Smith is a firm sweet/tart apple works best)
• 1 small Yukon Gold potato cut into chunks
• 1 cup leeks sliced thin (or 1 yellow onion, diced fine)
• 2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
• 2 oz. dry white wine
• 1/2 cup apple cider preferably unsweetened and natural
• 4-5 fresh thyme sprigs about 4-5″ long
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/8 tsp curry powder optional
• coarse salt & fresh cracked pepper
• good olive oil

Instructions

• NOTE: You don't have to roast the vegetables nor garlic. I find that when I roast vegetables, they take on a deeper and nuttier flavor. Roasting garlic transforms a pungent and strong flavor into a mellow and sweet
• Preheat the oven to 375F.

For the roast garlic (optional)

• Cut a small sheet of aluminum foil.

  Lightly drizzle with olive oil over the garlic bulb. Seal the foil and place on the baking sheet with the butternut squash and/or apples. Roasting time is 20-25 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

  Once the garlic is cool enough to safely handle, the soft pulp will gently squeeze out. Set aside. You will have leftover roasted garlic to use in other ways– terrific in mashed potatoes.
• On a parchment or foiled lined baking sheet, dump the diced butternut squash. Drizzle a little olive oil (1-2 Tbsp.) and sprinkle with some coarse salt & black pepper. With your hands, toss the squash to coat and season evenly. Roast for approximately 20 minutes, until tender and lightly golden on the edges.
• On a separate baking sheet, do the same for the apple chunks. (You could roast it all one one large pan, if you have room.) Roast for about 15 minutes.
• In a Dutch Oven, add a bit of olive oil (enough to lightly coat the pan) and one small pat of unsalted butter, on medium heat.
• Add the leeks and cook until tender, about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the curry (if you are using it) and stir for about 15 seconds.
• Add 2-3 cloves of the roasted garlic. (Note you can add fresh garlic, but use 1 small clove and be careful it doesn't burn.)
• Add the roasted squash, diced potato, apples, the white wine and apple juice.
• Add 2-3 cups of chicken stock– enough to just cover the vegetables and fruit.
• Tie the thyme & bay leaves with kitchen twine. (NOTE: You can add the thyme directly to the soup, but I used a bouquet garni just to flavor the broth. I wanted to remove the herbs for aesthetic purposes only.)
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer on low heat. Allow the soup to cook for 20-30 minutes. NOTE: If you opted not to roast the vegetables, allow to simmer about 45 minutes, so that the vegetables and apples can cook to fork tender.
• Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Otherwise, use a blender to puree in batches. Be very careful to put a towel over the top of the blender.
• The soup will be quite thick (from the potato starch).
• Taste and adjust your seasonings with more salt, if necessary.
• If desired, add heavy cream or whole milk to thin and give a lighter color and richer flavor. Otherwise, add more chicken or vegetable stock, until it reaches your desired consistency.

Notes

TASTING NOTES: If you love the taste of butternut squash, then decrease to using only 1 apple and just a splash of apple juice. Since I’m wary of butternut squash, I loved the balance of the apples that toned down the bitterness (to my personal taste buds) of the butternut squash.

You could substitute sage, instead of thyme, which I think would be delicious.

 

Nutrition

Calories: 111kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 491mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 7647IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 57mg | Iron: 2mg

Tried this recipe?Mention @afeastfortheeyes or tag #afeastfortheeyesblog!

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