Squash Bisque

One thing you'll probably notice a lot of in the next couple of months are soup recipes.  This is the perfect season to make them and not feel bad about eating a hearty and rich homemade soup...there's actually nothing more comforting in my opinion!  And there is such an abundance of wonderful ingredients right now that can be taken full advantage of, especially squash!

Don't get me wrong, we definitely eat squash in the Summer as well (it's absolutely fabulous on the grill), but there are different types of squash for that and it's rather challenging to find a good Butternut or Acorn squash mid-July.  But right now they are in full force and at their pique, meaning they are perfect for eating!

I love the stuff and it definitely holds it's place as a nice side dish or even as the main star at dinner as in this case with the bisque.  This was my first time trying this particular recipe but I liked that it used a few other ingredients that are not found in my usual go-to recipe.  With a combination of sauteed onion, potato and apple, there was a nice balance of sweet and savory going on this dish.  Normally, sage is paired with something like this; however I was out and opted for rosemary instead and was pleasantly surprised with how much more I liked it over the sage!  Chris was also quite surprised at how much he liked it and determined it to be at the top of his list of favorites!

Squash Bisque

Ingredients
5 Tbsp. Unsalted Butter
1 Med. Onion, diced
2 Med. Apples, peeled and diced
1 Lg. Potato, peeled and diced
2-3 lb. Butternut Squash, peeled, seeded and diced
Salt
Pepper
1/2 Tsp. Dried Rosemary (or Sage)
2 Tbsp. Flour
1/2 cup Apple Cider
4 cups Chicken Broth
1/2 cup Milk
1/2 cup Heavy Cream
2 cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Directions
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat and add in the onion, apples, potato and squash.  Season with salt and pepper and cook until the onions become tender (about 10-12 minutes).  Stir in the rosemary (or sage) and flour.  Add in the cider, stirring occasionally until thickened.  Add in the broth, milk and cream; cover and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

Using a potato masher, carefully begin mashing the chunks of potato and squash in the pot to form a thicker consistency.  Add in the cheese, stirring until melted in.  Serve immediately.

Yield: 4-6 Servings
Source: Adapted from Food Network Magazine