Creamy Butternut Squash Soup
- 2 lbs Butternut Squash, peeled and diced
- 2 Granny Smith Apples, diced
- 1 leak, rinsed and chopped
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 tsp Chinese 5 spice
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 cup Apple Juice
- 4 cups Chicken Stock
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Drizzle olive oil on a baking sheet pan, and place diced squash and apples on it. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large stockpot, saute chopped leak and minced garlic. Add apple juice and chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Add roasted squash and apples.
Using an immersion blender, blend until smooth and creamy. If you don't have an immersion blender, use a standing blender and puree in batches.
Garnish with sour cream and pumpkin seeds. Serve warm.
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Buttermilk Scones - Baking with Julia Morning Pastries, Pg. 210
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 2 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1 1/2 sticks cold, unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 cup Buttermilk
- 1 Tbsp. grated Orange or Lemon zest
- 1/2 stick Butter, melted, for brushing
- 1/4 sugar, for dusting
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
In a medium bowl, stir the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together with a fork. Add the cold butter pieces and, using your fingertips or a pastry blender, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. It's okay if larger pieces remain - they'll add to the flakiness.
Pour in buttermilk, toss in zest and mix with the fork only until ingredients are moistened - you'll have a soft dough with a rough look. If dough looks dry, add another tablespoon of buttermilk.
Gather the dough into a ball, pressing it gently so that it holds together, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead very briefly. Cut the dough in half. Roll one piece of the dough into a 1/2 inch think circle that is about 7 inches across. Brush the dough with half of the melted butter, sprinkle with 2 Tbsp of the sugar, and cut the circle into 6 triangles. Place the scones on an ungreased baking sheet and set aside while you roll out the rest of the dough.
Bake the scones for 10 to 12 minutes, until tops and bottoms are golden brown. Transfer the scones to a rack to cool. These are best served warm, but are just fine at room temperature.
