Butternut squash and apple bisque

For me, apples and butternut squash are the epitome of autumn. Together they form a beautiful and satisfying soup. Truth: I would have eaten the entire soup pot had I not restrained myself. Yes, this soup is that good!

Credit: Heather Poire

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  40 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

Soup

• 1 medium butternut pumpkin, halved lengthwise and seeded
• 3 medium-large apples, seeded and sliced (skin on)
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2½ cups water or vegetable broth
• ¼ tsp white pepper, ground
• salt to taste

Candied pecans

• 1 tsp vegan butter or coconut oil
• ¼ cup pecans
• 2 tsp sugar
• ½-1 tsp cinnamon
• pinch of salt

Resting time 5 minutes

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 220ºC. 

Line a baking tray with baking paper, place the pumpkin skin side up, and roast for 30 minutes or until tender. Add sliced apples after 10 minutes as they only need to be roasted for 20 minutes.

Place a medium soup pot over a medium heat. Add olive oil and onion and cook until onion is soft and translucent, about 3-5 minutes, before turning off the heat.

Once the pumpkin is done, scoop the flesh out from each half leaving the skin behind. Add the flesh to your soup pot along with the roasted apples. Add water or stock and salt and pepper to the pot, remove from cook top and blend with a stick blender until smooth. Alternatively, process in batches with a large glass blender, allowing steam to escape through the lid's vent. Return to the cook top and keep warm on a low heat until ready to serve.

 While the squash and apples are roasting, place a small sauté pan over a low-medium heat. Add all your candied pecan ingredients and cook for approximately 5 minutes, or until sugar begins to caramelise. Remove from heat, spread the mixture on baking paper and allow to cool.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with candied pecans. If desired, vegan “crème fraîche” can be added by combining vegan sour cream and almond milk until the desired consistency is reached.

Recipe from Sunday Morning Banana Pancakes by Heather Poire, with photographs by Heather Poire.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.