Butternut Squash Soup with Sauteed Pears, Bacon, and Hazelnut Cream

A friend asked me the other day what my ideal Valentines Day dinner would be.  After thinking about it I decided it would have to be a light flavorful meal with a rich and decadent dessert.  And of course, a good bottle of wine to go along with it.

Butternut Squash Soup is one of my very favorite soups.  It's perfectly creamy with a touch of sweetness and limitless options for topping.  If you know me, you know I love toppings.  If we are having oatmeal, I have a whole array of options for mix-ins to go along with it, from coconut to dried cherries.  For mexican meals, I love having and a tray full of toppings like sharp cheddar to cilantro.  And for this soup, I came up with some many different toppings that I couldn't choose which one was the best compliment.  I indecisively added them all, some savory and some sweet, which I wouldn't necessarily recommend.

The hazelnut cream is just a basic blend of light cream cheese, hazelnut oil, and chopped toasted halzelnuts, adding a creamy and rustic flavor to the soup

Sliced pears, were simple sauteed in butter and topped with a touch of honey to make for a sweet and fruity component to the squash.

Bacon, well I need not describe the bacon, besides saying, it added the perfect salty crunch that the soup needed.

Another option would be to roast the butternut squash seeds with a little bit of olive oil and salt on 400 degrees for about 5-10 minutes or until crisp and golden brown.  This would be a nice Vegetarian substitute for the crisp bacon.

Butternut Squash Soup

Adapted from a Williams Sonoma Recipe

Serves 12

INGREDIENTS

8 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto or bacon (optional topping)
4 red Anjou pears, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices (optional topping)

5 Tbs. unsalted butter
4 celery stalks, cut into 1/2-inch dice

2 yellow onions, cut into 1/2-inch dice
6 garlic cloves, minced (optional for a more savory soup)
4 cans of butternut squash puree (fing this at Sunflower Market or Whole Foods)
4 cups chicken broth, plus more if needed
2 tsp fresh sage or thyme, shredded

1/2 cup half and half
Ground nutmeg, to taste, if needed

Pinch of sugar, if needed

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS

Cook bacon or prosciutto over the stove on medium heat until crisp. Set aside

In a 5 1/2-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat, melt 2 Tbs. of the butter. Add enough pear slices to form a single layer and cook, turning once, until caramelized on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes total. Transfer to a plate. Repeat to cook the remaining pears.

In the same pot over medium heat, melt the remaining 3 Tbs. butter. Add the celery and onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the butternut squash puree, the 4 cups broth, thyme, half of the pears, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

Using a blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth. Return the soup to the pot and stir in the half-and-half. Add more broth if needed to reach the desired consistency. Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with the prosciutto/bacon, remaining pear slices, or hazelnut cream. Serve immediately.

Toppings: Set out the various toppings and let your guests choose which they would prefer.  The pears and hazelnut cream make for a more sweet soup, while the bacon adds a rich meat flavor for a more savory taste.