Roasted Pear Butternut Soup with Crumbled Stilton

By á-25063

The stilton cheese and pears are a classic combination... the salty milky blue cheese balances the sweet floral taste of the pears. Roasting the pears and the butternut squash caramelizes their sugar, maximizing their inherent sweetness. You can serve this creamy soup as a first course or with a salad and crusty bread for a light autumn supper

Ingredients

• 2 ripe pears, peeled and quartered and cored
• 2 pounds of butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 2 inch chunks
• 2 medium tomatoes, cored and quartered
• 1 large leek, pale green and white parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced and washed thoroughly
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 cups vegetable broth or reduced sodium chickne broth, divided
• 2/3 crumbled Stilton or other blue veined cheese
• 1 Tablespoon thinly sliced fresh chives or scallion greens

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Combine pears, squash, tomatoes, leek, garlic, oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss to coat. Spread evenly on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 40 to 55 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Place half the vegetables and 2 cups of broth in a blender, puree until smooth. Transfer to a large saucepan. Puree the reamining vegetables and 2 cups of broth. Add to the pan and stir in the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Cook the soup over med. low heat. Stirring until hot about 10 minutes. Divide among 6 bowls and garnish with cheese and chives. (Or Scallion greens)