Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 large onions chopped
- 2 tablespoons mild curry powder
- 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
- ¼ cup local maple syrup
- 2 large butternut squash
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 2 cups crème fraiche
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups good apple cider
Directions
Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder, cinnamon in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.
Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks.
Add the squash, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash are very soft. Process the soup through a food mill fitted with a large blade, or puree it coarsely in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.
Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the apple cider and crème fraiche to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.
Gianluca Paris is the Executive Chef and owner of Luca’s Mediterranean Café, a fine dining restaurant, The Market at Luca’s, offering light bistro style fare and gourmet take out and Luca's Culinary Journey Catering in Keene, New Hampshire, where he lives with his wife Lindy and his two children. He is the recipient of many accolades, including “Excellence in Dining” and “Best Service/Wait staff” every year since 2002 from Market Surveys of America, along with “Best Mediterranean Restaurant,” “Best Fine Dining Restaurant,” “Best Caterer in New Hampshire,” and, for four years, “Best Restaurant in the Monadnock Region” from New Hampshire Magazine.