Curried Butternut Squash and Apple Bisque

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Place squash onto a baking sheet cut-side down.

3. Bake squash in preheated oven until the skin loosens from the flesh, about 40 minutes.

4. Heat olive oil in a 5-quart stockpot over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil until the onion is translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add vegetable stock, curry sauce, and apples to the stockpot; bring to a simmer, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to medium-low.

5. Cut squash into 1-inch cubes; add to the stockpot. Bring the mixture again to a simmer, place a cover on the pot, and cook, stirring once every 15 minutes, until the squash is tender and breaks apart easily when stirred, about 2 hours.

6. Remove pot from heat and blend soup with an immersion blender until completely pureed. Pour coconut cream into the soup; continue blending until creamy. Top each serving with toasted pine nuts and a couple of leaves of cilantro.

Cook's Notes

You can buy already cubed or frozen squash to save time and mess. You can also fully bake the squash and then spoon away from the peel.

This can also be made the night before and left in a slow cooker overnight, but don't add the coconut cream till just before serving or it turns dark brown; tastes just the same, but not as visually appealing.