• Staff Favorite

Ingredients

1. 3 medium butternut squash (about 5 pounds)--halved, peeled and seeded
2. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3. 1 large onion, coarsely chopped
4. 1 tablespoon curry powder
5. Salt and freshly ground pepper
6. 2 tablespoons honey
7. 1 teaspoon cinnamon
8. One 2-pound head of cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets
9. 3 quarts Vegetable Stock
10. 1 cup heavy cream
11. Roasted Garlic Flat Breads and crème fraîche, for serving

Directions

1. Cut 4 of the butternut squash halves into 1-inch chunks; cut the remaining 2 squash halves into 1/4-inch dice.
2. Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan. Add the onion. Cover with a piece of crumpled wax paper and cook over moderately low heat until the onion is softened, about 10 minutes. Remove the wax paper. Add the curry powder and season with salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Raise the heat to high, add the honey and cinnamon and bring to a boil. Stir in the large chunks of squash and the cauliflower until coated with the spices. Add the Vegetable Stock and bring to a simmer. Cook over moderately low heat until the vegetables are very tender, about 40 minutes.
3. Working in batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the saucepan. Add the heavy cream, cover partially and simmer over moderately low heat for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season the curried squash soup with salt and pepper.
4. Meanwhile, in a steamer basket set over boiling water, steam the finely diced squash until just tender, about 8 minutes. Lightly season the diced squash with salt.
5. Ladle the soup into shallow bowls. Garnish the soup with the diced squash and a dollop of crème fraâche and serve hot with the Roasted Garlic Flat Breads.

Make Ahead

The soup can be prepared through Step 3 and refrigerated for up to 2 days. The steamed squash can be refrigerated overnight.

Notes

Rather than simmering the vegetables in this soup for 40 minutes, you can deepen their flavors by roasting the squash and cauliflower. Halve and seed the butternut squash and roast in a 400º oven face down on a lightly oiled baking sheet in a 400º oven until tender, about 20 minutes. Peel and cut into large chunks. Toss the cauliflower florets with oil and salt and roast in a baking pan at the same temperature until tender and lightly browned on the edges, about 40 minutes.

In Step 2, add the roasted squash and cauliflower along with the vegetable stock, bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes only. Proceed with the recipe as written.