Vermont Maple Butternut Squash Soup

We just returned from ten blissful days in New England. Our itinerary centered around visiting my oldest daughter who is in college in Rhode Island, and watching her play rugby on either week-end. We landed in Boston and watched her first game against an iconic Ivy League school (can you guess which one?). They didn't win, but she had a couple of spectacular tackles! After a fun week-end in Bean Town tooling around the North End, we dropped her back at school and headed up to Vermont.

For most of my life, I have heard that fall colors in New England are incredible. With this in mind, my husband, Rob, and I planned to spend three days in Stowe, VT. We arrived late on our first night and nestled into our cozy lodge. I am an early riser, so could not wait to get up and take a look around. I opened the curtains in our living room and could not believe the spectacular show. Red, green, orange, yellow, and everything in between. The colors were mind-blowing.

We set out on our first day with no particular itinerary in mind. We knew we wanted to sample any local foods and spirits, stop in a few antique stores, and just take in the marvelous scenery. With this in mind, we charted a course to a local whiskey distillery that Rob wanted to visit. Along the way, we stumbled upon a quaint little shop boasting maple syrup tasting. We simply had to stop. I have been a maple fan for as long as I can remember. I have fond memories of my dad taking my sister and me to our local donut shop on Sunday mornings where I always picked a Maple Old-Fashion.

Marvin's Country Store was a maple syrup goldmine! They feature many wonderful products from Butternut Mountain Farm. With so many different types to choose from, they asked if we wanted to do a tasting. Uh, Hello? You don't have to twist my arm! Of course, we said, "Yes!" We were so surprised by the variations of flavors and intensity of the maple essence. When they told us they also ship - well, let's just say there are going to be a lot of maple recipes in my future. If you are ever in Johnson, VT, be sure to stop by this place where you can find the super-friendly staff and all the maple syrup you can drink. And by the way, we did eventually make it to the whiskey distillery!

So, in honor of Marvin's and Butternut Mountain Farm, I made this Vermont Maple Butternut Squash Soup. I modeled mine after a recipe I found in the Vermont Farm Table Cookbook originally from a restaurant called The Belted Cow Bistro in Essex Junction, VT. (Sadly, this restaurant is now closed.) I opted for a savory version substituting their cinnamon and nutmeg for fresh sage and thyme. I also threw in a pinch of red pepper flake to give it some heat and some half-and-half to make it more creamy. This is a wonderful dish to serve on a cool fall night. A simple salad with apples, arugula, goat cheese, and a light vinaigrette would be the perfect accompaniment to complete this meal. Enjoy!

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Vermont Maple Butternut Squash Soup

This is the perfect fall soup to warm up with on a chilly day.

Course dinner, Lunch

Cuisine American

Keyword Bacon, Butternut Squash, Butternut Squash Soup

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Equipment

• 1 large stockpot or Dutch oven
• 1 Spatchula
• 1 Emmerson blender or regular blender

Ingredients

• 3 pounds butternut squash 1 large peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8 slices smoked bacon
• 8 T. 4 oz. unsalted butter
• 1 large sweet yellow onion diced
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• ½ c. light pure Vermont maple syrup Don't skimp here!
• 1 T. fresh minced sage
• 1 T. fresh minced thyme
• 8 c. chicken or vegetable stock plus extra as needed
• ½ c. half and half
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Fresh chopped chives

Instructions

• Cook the bacon in a large stockpot over medium-high heat until crispy, about five minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the bacon to paper towels to drain then crumble into small pieces. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings from the pot, add 4 tablespoons of butter, and melt over medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper flake and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add the squash, maple syrup, sage, thyme, and chicken stock to the onions and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the squash is very tender about twenty minutes or so. With an emersion blender or carefully in a standing blender puree the soup until smooth. Add in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and the half and half and stir until everything is combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Ladle the soup into the bowls and garnish with the crumbled bacon and fresh chives.