Calvados-Laced Squash Soup With Cinnamon And Bay Leaves

Recipe Ingredients

6 lbs	2724g / 96oz	Butternut squash - (abt 2 very large) - halved lengthwise
4 tablespoons	60ml	Olive oil
2 tablespoons	30ml	Unsalted butter - (1/4 stick)
2		Onions - chopped
2		Cinnamon sticks - broken in half
2		Bay leaves - broken in half
1 teaspoon	5ml	Coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon	2.5ml	Freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 cup	118ml	Calvados (apple brandy)
		= (or brandy)
4		Low-salt chicken broth - (14 oz ea)
1		Evaporated milk - (12 oz)
1/4 cup	59ml	Sour cream
1 tablespoon	15ml	Warm water
1/4 teaspoon	1.3ml	Ground cinnamon

Recipe Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil. Brush squash flesh with 2 tablespoons oil. Place on prepared baking sheets, cut-side down. Roast squash until very tender, about 1 hour. Cool 20 minutes. Remove seeds. Scoop out 6 cups squash pulp and transfer to large bowl (reserve any remaining squash for another use).

Melt butter with remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Saute until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add Calvados and simmer until almost all of liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Discard cinnamon stick pieces and bay leaves. Add mixture to squash in large bowl and stir to combine. Working in batches, puree squash mixture in blender with chicken broth and evaporated milk until smooth. Strain into same pot, pressing on solids in strainer to extract as much liquid as possible.

Mix sour cream, 1 tablespoon warm water, and ground cinnamon in medium bowl to blend. (Soup and cinnamon cream can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool soup slightly, then cover and refrigerate. Cover and refrigerate cinnamon cream.)

Bring soup to simmer. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each with dollop of cinnamon cream and serve.

This recipe yields 12 servings.

Source:
Bon Appetit, November 2002

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