Ingredients:

2 (about 1 lb. each) butternut squash

1 T. butter

2 T. oil

1 tsp. salt

½ tsp. pepper

1 c. sweet onion, roughly chopped

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 ribs of celery, roughly chopped

2 leeks (white part only), roughly chopped

1 shallot, roughly chopped

2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

½ c. white wine

2 qt. chicken or vegetable stock (preferably homemade, vegetable stock if making this vegetarian)

1 T. maple syrup

1 T. honey

Roasted Grape Tomato Coulis (recipe below)

Roasted Tarragon & Poblano Chili Oil (recipe below)

Roasted Corn, for garnish (recipe below)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Peel, seed and roughly chop the squash. Place in an ovenproof baking dish and lightly cover with 1 tbsp. of the oil, salt and pepper. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until tender. Remove the squash and allow it to cool.

In a large, heavy-bottom pot, add the butter and remaining oil. Sweat the vegetables for several minutes; do not allow them to brown. Add the lemon juice and the white wine. Allow the wine to cook off until almost gone. Add the stock, maple syrup and honey. Bring to a boil and simmer for 45 minutes. Then, in small batches in a blender or food processor, or using an immersion blender, blend the soup until it is smooth and creamy throughout.

To serve, place the soup in the serving dish. Drizzle with the Roasted Grape Tomato Coulis and the Roasted Tarragon & Poblano Chili Oil, and garnish with roasted corn. Makes 16 8-oz. servings.

Roasted Grape Tomato Coulis

1 lb. sweet grape tomatoes

1 T. tomato paste

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F. Place the tomatoes in an ovenproof dish and lightly drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes, until the tomatoes just start to split. Transfer to a food processor and puree. Run the pureed tomatoes through a fine sieve and add the tomato paste.

Roasted Tarragon & Poblano Chili Oil

1 oz. fresh tarragon

1 red pepper

6 poblano peppers

¾ c. olive oil

Directions:

To roast the red peppers and poblano peppers, place them over the hottest part of a grill, directly over a burner flame or under a broiler. Allow the skin to char, and then allow the peppers to rest, sealed in a ziplock bag. After a few minutes, remove the skins. Slice the peppers and remove the seeds. Remove the leaves from the tarragon and discard the stems. Place the peppers in the food processor along with the tarragon and oil. Puree. Strain the puree through a fine sieve and reserve the oil.

Roasted Corn Garnish

2 ears of corn, roasted

Juice of 2 limes

Directions:

Remove the kernels from the ears. Mix with the lime juice.