Winter Squash Soup with Gruyere Croutons

Ingredients

For the Soup
1/4 cup of butter (half a stick)
1 large onion, sliced
4 large cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups of chicken stock
1 small butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (3-4 cups)
1 acorn squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces (3-4 cups)
1 tbs fresh thyme, minced
1 tbs fresh sage, minced
2 tsp sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

For the Croutons
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 baguette, sliced diagonally
1 cup gruyere cheese, grated
1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1 tsp fresh sage, minced

Make the Soup

Melt the butter in a large pan (that has a lid). Add the onion and garlic and saute until soft, about ten minutes. Add the chicken stock, squash, and herbs, cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium low and simmer until squash is very tender, about 25 minutes. Using a stick blender (or in batches in a regular blender) puree the soup. Add the sugar and the cream, then season well with salt and pepper. I found that it took close to 2 tsp of salt to get the seasoning correct, but your mileage may vary depending on whether your chicken stock has salt or not.

Make the Croutons

Preheat your boiler on high. Butter one side of your baguette slices (don’t skimp on the butter) and broil until toasty and brown. Turn them over, sprinkle each slice with the herbs and then top with a generous amount of cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted and the bread is nicely toasted.

Float a couple croutons on top of each bowl of soup, and serve the extra croutons on the side for dipping.