Roasted Pear and Butternut Squash Soup

 National Winnie the Pooh Day January 18th

Time to revisit a children's classic.

Alan Alexander Milne January 18, 1882- January 31, 1956

This day honors the birthday of the author Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Besides making the soup, you can also celebrate the day by reading his classic stories.

Milne was a noted writer and primarily a playwright before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.

In 1924 Milne published a book of children's poems entitled " When We Were Very Young" with drawings by one of his colleagues Ernest Shepard. This book included a poem about a teddy bear who however hard he tried grows tubby without exercise. That was Pooh's first unofficial appearance in Milne's writing. 

Milne is most famous for his two pooh books about a boy Christopher Robin named after his son and the various characters inspired by his son's stuffed animals most notably a bear named Winnie-the-Pooh. E.H Shepard illustrated the original Pooh books using his own son's teddy bear, Growler as the model. A little known fact is that Christopher Robin Milne's own toys are now under glass in the New York City Library.

I felt a bit like Pooh when I made this soup. I thought about just tasting it since only mid-morning and then saving it for later but it was so good I had to have a whole bowl.  

Roasted Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

Cook's Notes: I can't say enough good things about this recipe brimming with flavors and complex textures. It's velvety with a smooth rich taste of  caramelized butternut squash, pears and a hint of sweet ginger and maple. The soup will tantalize your taste buds. The recipe may appear labor intensive but I guarantee well worth the effort. The recipe makes 4-6 servings depending on the size of the bowl. It's an Ever Ready Special.

Cooking tip: Look for precut butternut squash in produce as a timesaver. You might need one cup extra broth if soup too thick. 

Ingredients:

• 2-1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 cups butternut squash cubed in 1 inch pieces
• 2-1/2 tablespoons maple syrup, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
• 2 large Bartlett pears, peeled and cubed into chunks
• 1 cup diced sweet onions
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• 4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth 
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger or 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon curry 
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream

Step One

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a large bowl toss butternut squash with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 tablespoon maple syrup and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.  Roast 18 minutes.
• In same bowl add diced pears with 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup, 1/2 tablespoon olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon.
• Add pears to baking sheet with butternut squash and check to make sure squash and pears are evenly spread out. Roast 10 minutes.  
• Remove from oven and place on a paper towel dinner size plate.

Step Two

• In a small skillet place remaining oil and sauté onions 5 minutes, add in garlic and sauté 2 minutes more.

Step Three

• In a blender add 1 cup broth, ginger, curry, butternut squash, pears, onion garlic, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, blenderize until smooth. Add in rest of broth. May need to process in two batches depending the size of your blender. Place in a soup pot. Taste test for salt and pepper. On low bring soup to a simmer but not a boil. Stir occasionally until smooth. At the end add in heavy cream. Stir and serve.