Let me squash your head*

The third tasting course of my Thanksgiving Dinner this year will be Butternut Squash and Apple Bisque. I've never made it. I've never had it, but here goes.

I took two recipes and merged them together to make the bisque (commonly known as cream soup-officially bisque is a creamy seafood soup).

One recipe came from Simply Recipe. Another from Oprah. Yes, Oprah. Really the only difference was the addition of an apple to pot. Now, if I think far enough ahead next time, I'm going to roast the squash for a deeper, richer flavor. Of course, this is for Thanksgiving, so I also added 1 TB of butter! Please note, the final soup goes through the blender, so the size of the diced doesn't really matter. Except for the celery, which is particularly fiberous, so dice those suckers smaller.


Butternut Squash and Apple Bisque
serves 4-6

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced
1 tart apple, peeled, seeded, cored and diced (I used a Pink Lady)
1 TB Olive Oil
1 TB Butter
1 yellow onion, diced
1 celery stalk, sliced thin
1 carrot, sliced thin
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 cups stock (chicken or veg)
3/4 cup cream
Salt & Pepper to taste

Add oil to a 4-quart saucepot and place over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrots and rosemary and cook until the onion begins to brown, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.


Add the squash, apple, stock and 1 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until squash is tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat and let soup cool slightly, about 8 minutes.


Using a standard or immersion blender, puree soup until smooth. If using a standard blender, puree in small batches to prevent spillage (cover blender with a towel, just in case). Transfer to a clean pot or storage container. Soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen up to 2 months.

When ready to serve, reheat over gently heat. Add cream and taste for seasoning adjustments. Add additional cream or stock if too thick. Simmer for 5 minutes. Serve warm.


I'm cooling this in the fridge for now and will transfer to the freezer until later this week. Then I will thaw, reheat and add the cream and final seasoning. Stay tuned.

* I saw a bit on Kids in the Hall the other day, so I had to reference the one skit I always remember...the one guy (can't remember who) squinting his eye, holding up his thumb and fore finger and saying> "I will squish your head," while positioning someone's head, in the distance, between said thumb and fore finger and squishing... Sorry, I find it funny.