Butternut Squash Soup w/ Cinnamon Croutons

Ingredients

4 Tablespoon unsalted butter
2 medium shallots, minced
3 pounds butternut squash (about 1 large), unpeeled, quartered, seeds and stringy fibers removed and reserved (about 1/4 cup)
salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
6 cups water

Heat butter in large Dutch over over medium-low heat until foaming; add shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add squash scrapings/seeds and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant and butter turns a saffron color, about 4 minutes.

Add water and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt to Dutch oven and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low. Place squash cut-side down in steamer basket, and lower basket into pot. Cover and steam until squash is completely tender, about 30 minutes.

Off heat, use tongs to transfer squash to rimmed baking sheet; reserve steaming liquid. When cool enough to handle, use large spoon to scrape flesh from skin into medium sized bowl; discard skin.

Pour reserved steaming liquid through a mesh strainer into a separate bowl; discard solids in strainer. Rinse and dry Dutch oven.

In a blender, puree squash and reserved liquid in batches, pulsing on low until smooth. Transfer puree to Dutch oven; stir in cream and brown sugar and heat over medium-low heat until hot. Add salt to taste; serve immediately.

When I made this, I garnished the bowls with an extra swirl of cream on top, and a hefty hand-full of homemade cinnamon and sugar croutons.

Cinnamon Croutons

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons softened butter
4 slices white bread
2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Spread butter onto both sides of each slice of bread, and cut into cubes. Place them in a bag or bowl, and pour the cinnamon sugar over them. Shake or stir to coat. Arrange the cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, then stir and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes or until toasted.