Pear-Butternut Squash Soup

The entertaining season is about to start! Thanksgiving is two weeks away and I am sure that everyone is begining to think about what to serve. My Pear-Butternut squash soup is the perfect start to a holiday meal.

Entertaining can be easy and fufilling if you have the right tools and a few great recipes! In the next few weeks I will be showing you some of my favorite entertaining recipes, they are simple and give you more time to spend with friends and family. In addition to simple and elegant recipes I wholeheartly believe that the right "tools" in the kitchen can make the difference between a successful entertaining experience and a disaster. So... I will introduce you to a few of my favorites, hopefully they will becomes yours too!

Pear-Butternut Squash Soup

serves 4-6

1 whole butternut squash

3 bosch pears

2 cups half/half

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 cinamon stick

80z. creme fraiche ( can be found in the cheese/deli area)

1/2 jalapeno

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Slice butternut squash and pears lengthwise in half. Remove seeds and core with a spoon. Place on a baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper, roast at 400 for 1 1/4 hours. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool remove skin from both the pears and the squash. Place in blender or use a hand mixer such as the one I used from Viking. Blend until smooth and creamy. Place in 4 qt. pot and heat on medium-low. Add salt, pepper,nutmeg, cinamon stick to mixture. Let simmer 5-10 minutes until flavors combine and soup is hot.

Jalapeno creme fraiche: Slice jalapeno in half and remove seeds. Finely chop 1/2 jalapeno and mix with 8 oz. container of creme fraiche.

To plate: Ladle soup into guests bowls, top with a tablespoon of jalapeno creme fraiche. Serve immediately.

* Soup can be made ahead of time and frozen, simply reheat on cooktop 10 minutes when ready to serve!