Golden Butternut Squash Soup

Recently in a travel magazine I saw a restaurant advertisement that included a shiny white coffee cup and saucer filled with a yellow soup. What made is so special was the tiny scallop threaded on a skewer across the top edge of the cup. Inspired, I made a beautiful golden butternut squash soup that will be served in a porcelain coffee cup at a dinner party tomorrow evening. The soup smells sensational and tastes sweetly smooth before adding cream! I am skewering a shrimp across the top and found some glass martini olive skewers that are perfect for shrimp. Here's the recipe for a beautiful soup that's ready in less than an hour. Freeze some for another time.

Serves 8

2 tb unsalted butter

1 onion, chopped fine

3 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1 1/2" chunks

5 cups chicken broth (try Pacific Natural Foods organic free range)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

salt and pepper

Optional:

1/2 C heavy cream

Melt the butter in a large covered pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the squash, broth and nutmeg. Increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil. When bubbles break the surface, reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes.

Puree the soup until smooth. I prefer a hand (stick) blender that I use in the soup pot. You can also process in batches using a food processor or blender.

At this point, the soup can be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for 2 months.

Reheat over low heat. If desired, stir in the cream. Adjust the consistency; if the soup seems to thick, thin it out with additional broth or water. Before serving, season with salt and pepper, sprinkle individual servings with more nutmeg, to taste.