Fall Harvest Soup w/ Gruyere Croutons

For last weekend's Friendsgiving, the hostess circulated an email weeks in advance for people to sign up for different side dishes. There were a couple empty appetizer slots so I threw my name down for a soup. A lovely display of different squashes at Whole Foods led to this one. The popcorn sprinkled on top was orignally for aesthics but actually added the perfect little crunch. I could be am partial but it might be one of my favorite soups and it paired really well with the turkey, stuffing & cranberries and other sides including arugula-goat cheese salad, brussel sprouts with baked apples and mashed sweet potatoes. I ate my gruyere crouton before I even got to the soup but would imagine they pair together quite well too.

{ginger, large onion, acorn / butternut / sweet dumpling squash, garlic, sage and thyme}

{I halved, seeded and baked the squash for 45 minutes at 350 to allow for easier peeling}

{sliced baguette, grated gruyere and thyme for the croutons}

{although the popcorn sinks slightly, the kernels stay crunchy}

Soup

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
1 peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)*
1 peeled acorn squash (about 1 pound)*
1 peeled sweet dumpling squash (about half pound)*
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 minature bag of popcorn for garnish

Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, all squash and herbs; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes. Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return to same pot and season with salt and pepper. Top with popcorn right before serving for an extra added crunch!

*Note: I baked the squash at 350 for 45 minutes to make for easier peeling.

Croutons
Extra virgin olive oil
24 1/4-inch-thick baguette bread slices
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

Preheat broiler. Put a little oil on one side of each bread slice. Arrange bread, oil side up, on baking sheet and broil until golden, about 1 minute. Turn over and sprinkle with cheese thyme and sage. Broil until cheese melts, about 1 minute.

Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen's winter harvest soup.