Butternut Squash Soup

Warm up with this autumn favorite of Cerulean's Caleb France.

Photography By D. Lucas Landis & Grant Beachy | September 01, 2016

Ingredients

2 pounds butternut squash
2¼ cups water
½ cup chardonnay
2 sprigs fresh thyme (in sachet)
2 Fuji apples, peeled, cored, chopped
½ cup diced white onion
Salt and white pepper to taste
1 cup heavy cream
6–8 sage leaves, washed, dried and fried
Crispy bacon or pancetta, optional

Instructions

Serves 3–4

Cut the squash in half lengthways. Seed and core, then roast skin side up in ½ inch of water at 500°, until soft. Add more water if needed. Remove squash from pan and press through a sieve or mesh rack and discard skin.

In a Dutch oven or heavy pot, add the water, wine, thyme, apples, onion, salt, pepper and squash and simmer on medium-low until the apples are soft. Remove the mixture from the heat and discard the thyme sachet, and purée in a blender until perfectly smooth. Once blended, slowly add the cream until emulsified. Garnish each bowl with a few fried sage leaves and some crispy bacon or pancetta.

Recipe courtesy of Caleb France, owner of Cerulean Restaurant in Winona Lake and Indianapolis, Light Rail Café and Roaster and Winona Heritage Room—a new banquet facility in Winona Lake.