1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into wedges

1 apple with good sweet/tart balance, peeled, and cut into wedges

2 shallots, sliced

6-8 sage leaves

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 Tbsp maple syrup or brown sugar

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp butter

1 apple peeled and diced

1/4 cup pine nuts

Creme Fraiche

Soy Reduction

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Arrange the squash and apples on a baking sheet, sprinkle generously with salt and drizzle with oil. Rub to coat evenly and arrange so that the squash is on the outside and apples are on the inside of the baking sheet.

{“Roast on the bottom rack of the oven until brown on the first side, about 30 minutes. Tips for good browning”=>”don’t crowd the pan (no overlapping pieces), raise the oven temp by 50F and/or use a convection fan if no browning is happening after 30 min, cook longer (depending on your squash, pan, and oven, it could easily take as long as 50 min to brown the first side).”}

Flip the squash and apples, add the shallots and sage leaves into the middle of the baking sheet, drizzle them with a little oil and salt, and cook until shallots are tender and squash is brown on the second side, about 15-20 minutes.

Cool the vegetables slightly and add to the blender. Pour some boiling water into the baking dish and scrape up the brown bits. Pour into the blender. Add enough warmed up water to the blender to cover the squash (depending on the size of the squash and the blender you might have to do this in batches), add the vinegar, nutmeg, maple syrup, heavy cream and salt to taste. Puree until smooth.

Add more water as needed to get the desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning.

For the apple nut garnish, Set a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the butter. When the butter melts, add the apples and a pinch of salt. Cook stirring occasionally until the apples brown. Add pine nuts and mix to combine.

Pour the soup into bowls, top with the apple nut garnish. Add a dollop of creme fraiche and a drizzle of soy reduction.