Butternut Squash, Carrot & Apple Soup with Cider Cream
Beautiful veggie soup with a boiled cider drizzle
Take the time to read this if you need a good chuckle. Just do yourself that favor.
Also, just know there are a few swear words thrown in, not for good measure, but because, well, I got so pissed off, was eyeball deep in soup, ingredient, and time, and am so stubborn I refused to turn back. Hilarious frustration ensued. And I’m glad I didn’t turn back. This recipe is worth it. But you might enjoy the humor in my trials.
But, yes. I swear in here (and everywhere), and to myself I must be true.
Consider yourself warned.
I’ll full out give credit to Williams & Sonoma for this delicious, hearty soup. I will start there. Their recipes usually are so flippin’ good, I often don’t need to add much to make it to my flavor likings. Besides it’s getting pretty chilly here in the great state of New Hampshire, so soup, comfort - hell, just plain warmth - are what we crave.
Sweater weather isn’t just a cute Fall phrase in these neck of the woods, it’s survival mode at some points.
Now, I’ll step backwards.
I have always had what I call spacial disorientation. You say go left, I tend to go right kinda thing. It’s funny sometimes, until, say, you’re in the car with me in a country that drives on the opposite side of the road. You, my adoring co-pilot, know what we’re supposed to be doing, tell me which way to turn so we don’t get killed, and I turn in the exact opposite direction. All’s well until another car is coming straight at us. Know those driving scenes from National Lampoon’s European Vacation?? Yeah, it was something like that.
This is a true story from Ireland years ago.
Another instance, this time with size: When we built our 3,500 sq. ft. home, I remember standing on the freshly cured concrete of the basement floor, knowing full well there would be 2 more stories above me when the structure was done, and said to my husband, “This looks really small.”
No lie. And I wasn’t being funny.
He is a kind and good man who just looked at me quizzically and said, “WTF? Seriously? There’s going to be 2 more stories above you!”
Me: “I know. It still looks small.”
Him: Rolls up into back of head. Walks away.
My point? I don’t have a clear concept of size. At all. Or direction. I’m fun to be in the car with when driving in new places.
Now, let’s go back to W&S. I LOVE me some Williams & Sonoma. If you’ve ever had the treat of visiting their flagship store in San Francisco, you know you could easily live there. I met the greatest salesman ever there years ago named Eddie, and he is the reason I now own a Breville fully automatic espresso machine. It took me a few years to buy it after I met him, but that boy got me so jazzed up on espresso, I wanted to buy everything in the bloody store. Smart salesman.
Long story short, I’ve been in love with Williams & Sonoma ever since.
Their recipe is for Butternut Squash & Apple Soup with Cider Cream - hooked me from the word go. I always read recipes from start to finish, and I knew immediately, I’d want to add some more spice to add more depth of flavor - I give you all this in my version of the recipe - and I had some extra carrots I needed to use up, so I decided I’d throw them bad boys right in and make it a Orchard, Vine, and Earth soup.
I am here to tell you, no way were the 5 carrots I threw in this soup the problem that ensued.
Here’s my recipe with full out explicit commentary in bolded italics.
Orchard, Vine, and Earth Soup by a Spatially Disoriented Human:
Serves: A Small Army
Ingredients
Soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
Callin’ bullshit here. I used more like 6.
What I will say is add it as needed so you don’t burn your veggies in the pot. Because ewwww. I don’t even think raccoons want burnt soup.
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
I do love onion, so I used a large one. Maybe this is where it all begins to go downhill.
2 cloves garlic, minced
do yourself a favor and add to taste. I’m a garlic lover, so I would’ve added more like 3 to a “standard” recipe, but it’ll become painfully clear as you continue to read (if you haven’t already deduced such) that I like to go big or go home. I ended up adding closer to 6-7 cloves out of sheer necessity based on the amount of produce in the pot.
2 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and roughly chopped
Spacial disoriented human speaking. I took this at face value. “Buy large squash.” Turns out, maybe, just maybe, I bought XXL squash. Two XXL mofos. Maybe even XXXL. I no longer know.
I also did myself a favor and paid the few extra bucks to have that shit peeled and seeded for me. No way. Uh-uh am I peeling squash. I’ve done it a few times, taken off skin with the peeler because there’s always some rando bump that is never easy to peel over, sworn vile words (some made up) to every bloody creature within 500 yards of me, and thrown shit across the kitchen because it hurt so bad to not have skin where skin should be on my digits. No. Just pay the few extra bucks and call me to say thank you. My number is in the contact link.
Roughly chop? AHAHAHAHHAHA! No. Cut them bitches into smaller - I stress the word smaller - chunks, like you would were you roasting them to eat. I might roast it all next time because I genuinely believe it would be OOOOHHHH SSSSOOOO MUCH EASIER.
4 small red apples, peeled, cored and chopped
Spacial disoriented human speaking again. Small? Mine each weighed about half a pound. I bought XL apples. At some point I said screw it and added all 4 XL mofo apples. Because why the hell not at this point.
Variety is of no matter. Softer ones (Cortland, Mac) will cook faster
5 larger carrots
And no, these were not XXL carrots. They were normal whole carrots. And no, the carrots were not what ended up doubling this recipe. It was the mofo XXL, maybe even XXXL squash.
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Depending on your love of heat, you could easily up this to 1/2 tsp. I had to do that and then some out of necessity. Regardless, this spice is something you want. It truly adds a wonderful layer of flavor to what might be an otherwise bland soup without all the spices.
1 teaspoon cinnamon : Origines Natural…duh. Get the BEST, peeps.
This was one of the places I knew from the word go, I would add more.
I added 2 heaping teaspoons, and then needed to add more because, well, yeah. My honkin’ squash basically doubled the recipe.
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
I made this closer to 1/2 teaspoon because this was another spot to add more flavor for me, and ginger and root veggies are natural friends. Cause ginger is, guess what? A root…
1/4 allspice
given the nature of this spice - it’s a multitude of spices combined for you - it adds even more depth of flavor. It’s one of those underrated Fall spices that is a workhorse.
But if you like to be heavy-handed with spices, like me, go gently into the pot with this spice. More is not more here. A little is just right.
I’m feelin’ a little like Goldilocks right now with the whole spice commentary. And I know you’re perhaps slightly surprised that I didn’t go big or go home here. Hey, you do you, but don’t say I didn’t warn you with allspice.
1/8-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, depending on how much you like it.
Nutmeg can be one of those “WOAH, girl! Slow down!” spices for some people, but I love it, and it plays lovely in the pot with both apples, squash, and carrots,
So start small and work your way up to your liking. But add it. You want spice in this soup.
1 teaspoon Origines Naturals Turmeric
This adds a lovely, earthy warmth to the flavor profile, and it’s a nice zip of immunity boost
1/2-1 tsp salt, to taste with the veggies as they cook
Season the veg as it cooks, people!!!
Why didn’t this get added with the veg in the first place, recipe maker???
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth, low-sodium
This spatially disoriented human who clearly has no understanding of size when she purchased 2 dinosaur-sized butternut squash needed more like 8 cups. Cause yeah. That’s how much shit was in my 12 QT pot at that point. And NO. It had ABSOLUTELY nothing to do with the 5 bloody extra carrots I added.
Point? Buy more stock than you think you’ll need, and just slightly cover the amount of veg in the pot with said stock.
Use extra stock elsewhere in cooking life: rice, soups, quinoa, etc
1 cup heavy whipping cream or whole milk
Y’all ready for perhaps the best laugh? Want to laugh AT me and not with me?
Remember how I said I read recipes through before making. I lied here. I didn’t even see this….sooooo
I made the soup at and taste-tested and added more spice here and there to my personal taste, but when I got done with all the bloody vegetables and fruits, I came to this line item only when I started typing this post and started HOWLING laughing at myself.
No shit. I NEVER saw this item and the one below until I started typing this entry. BAHAHAHAHAHAHA
I NEVER ADDED THE CREAM/MILK. Nope. Made the bloody soup without the dairy!
I am here to tell you, YOU DO NOT NEED DAIRY IN THIS SOUP, whatsoever. Make it vegan and it’s still damned delish, as long as you spice it and blend it very well.
Now, this soup would become even more silky and luxurious with the cream, but my husband and I decided, eh - we’ll both save each the lactose issues we seem to be having and not need to burn a candle to diffuse noxious gas. Vegan it was!
You got lactose issues? I’m telling you this soup is perfectly fine sans dairy.
1 tablespoon lemon juice
You know fool me didn’t even get to this point in the recipe.
But knowing lemon juice as I lovingly do, be sure to add this. It will brighten all the flavors.
Kosher salt (no, SLT, this isn’t to taste… add this shit in with the veg) and freshly ground pepper (I agree that this should be added as a finisher)
Ready for the best laugh you’re about to have here?? When I went back to double check the fact that I’d missed the cream ingredient and searched Williams & Sonoma with the title of the soup, I couldn’t find it…why??
Ready for it?
This IS NOT a W&S recipe.
It’s a SUR LA TABLE recipe.
I’m dead.
Undone.
I’m crying laughing at myself now. And, please. Do laugh at me.
I’m full out laughable some days.
I love me Sur la Table, also, and none of this changes my affinity for Williams and Sonoma.
Cider Cream:
½ cup apple juice
Oddly, I did something similar to this. But I’m going to give you an insider’s tip. Find boiled cider.
I’ll give you an Amazon link below to the brand I love and use below. Boiling your own juice down can be messy, tedious, and longer than expected at times, and we simply don’t keep juice in the house. But I do keep boiled cider for certain baked recipes I make. Besides, boiled cider is intensely more flavorful than just juice.
But hey, you do you
Boiled cider will add a deep, warm, sweet depth of flavor. Just drizzle about a teaspoon on top of the non-dairy blended soup, and it’ll be pure delight! Promise.
1 cup heavy whipping cream
You should know by now that I didn’t use this… but go this route, if you so choose. I’m sure it’s lovely. Let me know.
Mine was lovely without it. Just sayin’. And me and vegan aren’t words that tend to collide very often, but damn if I didn’t do it well this one time, and I even liked it!
Procedure
Autumn in a bowl—sweet red apples pair perfectly with mellow butternut squash. This decadently creamy soup features a hint of spice for incredible depth of flavor.
This is their commentary. Welcome to a different reality. AKA Mine.
Yes, this is Autumn in a bowl.
Yes, the apples and squash are fun friends in the pot. But do add the carrots, especially if you just have them on hand. The baby carrots in a bag would even work, just chop them up. Carrots are also are a fun friend of other things, and add another layer of sweet and earthy flavor.
Decadently creamy? Sure. If you add the cream. And you now know…I did not. Cause’ I clearly can’t read well.
Hint of spice. Phish. Follow my notes if you want a truly spiced layer of flavor. I’m no fool or stranger to spices. Heed my advice. Call me and thank you, if you want, too.
Place a large, heavy saucepan on the stove over a medium heat and add the oil.
This is a 12qt. stockpot, y’all!
This is flaw numero uno in their process. Unless you have a stove top and “saucepan” the size of the one that created the world’s largest pancake, ain’t no way in any depth of Hell are you fitting even a normal sized squash and the apples in a “large” saucepan. Forget the carrots.
Apparently, I am NOT the only spacially challenged creature out there. (side note: I now feel better about myself, on some minute level.)
GET A BLOODY LARGE STOCKPOT!
I knew this from the word go, but I was foolish enough to get only an 8 qt stockpot. But when I added my XXXL squash to my 8 qt stockpot, I quickly realized I needed my big Daddy - AKA my 12 qt stockpot…
Create yourself a visual here… I’ve now got my freakishly heavy 8 qt Le Creuset stockpot overflowing with a large onion and only part of 2 XXXL squash…I’m attempting to vigorously stir these together. I contemplate calling my workout partner, telling her to screw tonight because I’m getting my upper body workout from stirring 2 billion pounds of produce in what I now consider a tiny pot.
This recipe and I are battling now.
I realize there’s no way in this universe, or any other, that I’m fitting the rest of my prehistoric sized squash and the apples into this pot, so I rush to get my 12 qt pot. My husband is on a work call so I’m flyin’ solo at this point. I do consider myself strong, but that Le Creuset pot with half the farmer’s market almost took me down it was so heavy. I scramble for the ladle to start taking it out - ladle spoonful by ladle spoonful - of the 8 qt. and dumping it into an oil lined 12 qt.
Now I’m just swearing. Loudly. War with this recipe is in full swing.. Enter my husband because he hears me being psychowife. “What in hell are you doing?" he asks. “The dumbass recipe said this would fit in a large saucepan,” I nothing short of scream back at him. He BUSTS out laughing. I can only join in.
Yeah. 12 qts. That’s how big my effing squash were. I own that shit.
I now have a literal VAT of soup, Which is why this is enough to feed a small army.
What in HELL am I going to do with what now weighs close to 15lbs of soup!!??
Dinner is at 6pm. Come on over.
See how full this beast is??!! I’m going to have leftovers for a long time. I can freeze this because I didn’t add the cream! But dinner is at 6pm. Feel free to come on over.
Sweet Baby Jesus, tell me, recipe creator at Sur La Table (now that we know I can’t even read a website title), how do 2 large squash, 4 small apples, and a medium onion fit in a “large” saucepan. Cause’ this Momma got one hella an arsenal of various pots and pans - I mean, I’ve got some MONSTER ones - but not even my BIGGEST saucepan would’ve accommodated this…even if I’d purchased the correct sized produce.
Visuals, PU-LEASE, Sur La Table! I demand VISUALS!
When the oil is shimmering, add the onions and cook until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Peeps, garlic burns fast at this temp, so do set a timer, if needed. Burnt garlic smells narsty and tastes like shit.
Refer to raccoons not eating it comment
Been there, done that. Learn from me. You gotta start over if you burn it.
Add the squash and cook, stirring often, until starting to soften, about 10 minutes. Add the apples, cayenne, cinnamon and ginger, and all the other spices I told you about and cook until lightly brown, about 5 minutes. But if you haven’t figured this out, you’re now in a large stockpot. I’d say, you should at least have a 6qt one. But clearly, I’m a go big girl, so….Add the broth (just enough to cover the vegetables) and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are very soft, about 30 minutes.
The timing here makes me laugh. So, so much.
Do just cover them veggies with stock. Mushroom stock would be another yummy layer of earthy flavor
I BOILED my produce in that broth for close to a mofo hour. No way was I screwing around at this point. Battle? War? This wasn’t shit I was going to lose - including my damned time. I walked the eff away for close to an effin’ house. I had half a farm stand in that pot, and I wasn’t playing games with this recipe any more.
You want your produce to be fork tender in your stock. Go ahead and check it at 30 minutes. I was ready to stab every piece of produce with a sword to make a point by this time. You just need to make sure a fork can easily go through the largest piece of whatever (carrot, squash, apple)
Remove from the heat and, using an immersion blender, purée soup until smooth.
Do this. Ignore the next commentary from the recipe…
Do I have an immersion blender? Yes.
Have we established I cannot read well? Yes.
Did I even see this part? NO.
But do read on for the fun part…please do.
Alternatively, you can purée the soup in batches in a food processor or blender.
If you haven’t laughed enough at me already, I’m the dipshit who somehow skipped the easy way to do this, and simply read, “Ladle your witch-sized caldron of soup into your Vitamix, ladle by ladle, hit puree, dump back into pot, and keep going with this labor intensive task until you’re done.”
Oh, and you’ll get to a point if you do it this way that you have to get your wok ladle to get the small chunks out.
I’ve made an absolute shitshow out of everything else by now, why not create hours of cleanup also??
At this point, I’m pretty sure the soup, the recipe, and the recipe maker were saying, “You. Are. A. Bloody. Dipshit. Learn to read woman.”
How would the recipe maker be saying this? I had channeled so much disdain to this person at this point, there is no way said person wasn’t feelin’ it.
Forget that 85% of the issue is my spatial disorientation.
I’m perfect.
No way was I at fault.
Use a wooden spoon to stir the cream or milk into soup. Add lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
To add or not to add cream? This is truly the question.
Add the lemon juice.
To prepare cider cream: Place the apple juice into small saucepan over a medium-high heat and bring to boil. When the apple juice has reduced by half, remove from the stove and allow to cool down completely. In a bowl, whisk the cream until slightly thickened. Whisk in the apple cider reduction until thoroughly combined.
To serve: Ladle the soup into warmed soup bowls and drizzle the cider cream over the soup. Serve immediately. Note: to serve as pictured, leave a few chunks of squash whole for texture (Oh screw you, recipe), and top with pumpkin seeds (I like this idea).
If you do the cider cream, lemme know. I’m now fully, thoroughly curious.
I simply drizzled a teaspoon of the boiled cider over my non-diary soup and sat down to enjoy the fruits of the labor I had created all by my spatially disoriented lonesome.
Because I love you, here is the recipe written out cleanly, in my terms.
Butternut Squash, Apple, and Carrot Soup with Cider Cream
By: Your absolute fav, and hilariously funny Queen Bee
Serves: a bunch of people
Ingredients
Soup:
2-4 tablespoons olive oil, adjust as needed depending on size/amount of produce
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped into smaller pieces for quicker cooking
4 small red apples, peeled, cored and chopped
5 larger carrots, peeled and chopped into smaller pieces for quicker cooking
¼ heaping teaspoon cayenne pepper; add up to 1/2 if you like some spice
2 heaping teaspoon Origine Naturals ground cinnamon
¼ heaping teaspoon ground ginger; add up to 1/2 tsp, if you’re a ginger lover
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon Origine Naturals Turmeric
4 cups vegetable (for vegan) or chicken broth, low-sodium
1 cup heavy whipping cream or whole milk; optional, but for a vegan recipe, leave out. For a more silky and luxurious soup, add in.
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Cider Cream:
½ cup boiled cider
1 cup heavy whipping cream; optional, see notes above on cream
Pumpkin seeds for topping; optional, but nice for texture
Procedure:
Autumn in a bowl to warm you up on cooler Fall days! Sweet red apples pair perfectly with mellow butternut squash and earthy carrots. This soup (can be creamy) features layers and depth of flavor from the spices and various Fall produce.
Place a large, heavy 6qt (minimum) stockpot on the stove over a medium heat and add the oil. When the oil is shimmering, add the onions and cook until tender and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add more oil, as needed to prevent burning, depending upon size of purchased produce.
Add the garlic, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Watch closely so as not to burn garlic.
Add the squash and carrots and cook, stirring often, until they start to soften, about 10 minutes.
Add the apples, salt, cayenne, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, turmeric, and ginger and cook until lightly brown, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the broth (just enough to cover the vegetables) and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are very soft, about 30 minutes - 1 hour, depending on how much produce in is in your stockpot. You want all produce to be fork-tender (you can easily get a fork through the largest piece.)
Remove from the heat and, using an immersion blender, purée soup until smooth.
If using cream, use a wooden spoon to stir the cream/milk into soup. Add lemon juice. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
To prepare cider cream: In a bowl, whisk the cream until slightly thickened. Whisk in the boiled apple cider until thoroughly combined.
To serve: Ladle the soup into warmed soup bowls and drizzle the cider cream over the soup. Serve immediately. Top with pumpkin seeds for added texture.
Or just add a simple sprinkle of Orgine Organic Cinnamon 🤩
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