Apple, Leek, Butternut Squash Soup

From my Soup of the Day book from JJE!

Ingredients:

1 or 2 butternut squash (about 4 lb total, halved, seeded, peeled, and cut in to chunks) - or 2-3 lbs butternut squash chunks pre-cut by the store

1 lb tart apples (I used honeycrisp) - peeled, cored, and quarters, plus 1 small tart apple, unpeeled, halved, cored, and thinly sliced

2 large leeks (white and pale green parts, thickly sliced)

4 large cloves garlic

2 Tbsp chopped sage, plus whole leaves for garnish (optional)

2 tsp ground cumin

salt and freshly ground pepper

3 Tbsp olive oil

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup hard cider or dry white wine

1/2 cup apple juice (optional)

1/2 cup crème fraiche or sour cream

Steps:

Preheat the over to 425 degrees.  Place the squash, quartered apples, leek, and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet.  Sprinkle with 1 Tbsp of the chopped sage and 1 tsp of the cumin.  Season with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with the oil, stir to coat, and spread the apples and vegetables in a single layer

Roast, stirring 2 or 3 times, until the squash is fork-tender and all the vegetable and apples are golden, 20-25 minutes.  Remove from the oven.

Working in batches, process in a food processor (or with an immersion blender) until a course puree forms.  With the motor running, pour in 1-1.5 cups of the broth and process until nearly smooth.

The immersion blender worked much better for me as you can see from these pics.  My food processor is a bit small....

Transfer the puree to a large, heavy pot over medium heat.  Stir in the remaining broth, the cider/juice/wine, and the remaining 1 Tbsp chopped sage and 1 tsp cumin and bring just to a simmer, stirring often.  Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup in to shallow bowls and top each serving with 1 Tbsp cream fraiche.  Float a few apple slices in each bowl.  Garnish with sage leaves, if using, and serve.