A delicious fall soup! Perfect for any cool day or a first course Thanksgiving menu. It's a make ahead recipe that freezes well. Serve it with a dollop of sour cream, cranberries and roasted pumpkin seeds.
Pre-heat oven to 375° and place parchment paper on cookie sheet.
Cut butternut squash in half and remove the seeds and set them aside. Rub some olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and a little dry thyme. Place squash on cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the thickness of the squash. Allow to cool slightly, remove the skin and cut into chunks. Set aside.
You can also roast the butternut squash peeled and cut in cubes or omit the roasting and cook the squash longer in the liquid.
Note: Clean and dry the seeds. Place the seeds on a cookie sheet, toss with salt and set aside. When the squash comes out, reduce the oven to 350°F and bake for about 8 minutes until golden.
In a large dutch oven sauté the diced onion in a little extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until they are tender and translucent. Add the garlic, carrots, curry powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, dry thyme and ginger. Sauté for a minute stirring frequently.
Slowly add broth remove any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the chunks of roasted squash, pumpkin puree, apple juice, bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 15-20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Add cream cheese and cream. Stir and blend until the cream cheese is melted through. Add cream cheese, cream and stir until the cream cheese has melted through.
Using an immersion blender, puree all the ingredients until smooth. Taste and reseason, if needed. If the soup is too thick, add a little extra stock or water to thin the soup.
Garnish
Add a little sour cream, roasted squash seeds and or dried cranberries.