Butternut Squash Soup with Pears and Shallots

When I was telling someone about how I was making this, I accidentally said I was making "buttnut squash soup," and now I laugh stupidly every time I think about the soup.

I can't take any credit for this soup other than following directions because it is a BrokeAss Gourmet recipe that I didn't take any creative license with, other than to decrease the amount of sage because I think it tastes like a Christmas tree.

The soup was still tasty without adding the half and half at the end, but I must say that it really made the soup go from great to awesome.

I doubled this recipe to make enough for a few days, and they went really well with these cheddar and chive biscuits. I guess my dad didn't think biscuits, soup and salad were enough for a dinner because after we ate it all he asked "so, what's next?"

Ingredients

1 medium butternut squash, halved
2 Bosc pears, peeled, cored, seeded and diced
2 shallots, sliced
2-3 fresh sage leaves, chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/2 cup half-and-half 
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Cut butternut squash in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. Roast, uncovered, in a baking dish for 45-55 minutes or until tender.

3. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a soup pot and saute the shallots for about 10 minutes until caramelized. Add the chopped pear, keeping a few pieces to top the soup with later. Cook the shallots and pear together for another 5 minutes, or until the pear softens.

4. When squash is cooled, spoon the inside into the soup pot. Add the sage and maple syrup and just enough water to cover everything. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

5. Puree soup using an immersion blender in the pot or by taking it out in batches and pureeing with a blender. Season with salt and pepper and stir in half and half. Heat for another 2-3 minutes.