Curried Roasted Pear & Squash Soup

Adapted from Allrecipes

This recipe caught my eye because of the pear.  How would the sweetness pair (pear?  ha, ha!) with the curry and squash?  It was fantastic.  The sweetness was slight, but evident.  I really like curry and had made a curried butternut squash soup before, so I knew I would enjoy this part of the recipe.  I am somewhat assuming this will be my last butternut squash recipe until Fall since I am more in the mood for "Summer" food lately, but this was a great way to end the soup and squash season!

Ingredients:

• 1 (2 lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 2 firm, ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and chopped
• 4 cloves garlic
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 Tbs butter
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 tsp ginger
• 1 Tbs curry powder
• 3 ½ cups chicken broth
• ½ cup milk
• Dash cinnamon
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil.  In a large bowl, toss squash, pear and garlic with enough olive oil to lightly coat.  Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Spread in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.  Roast in preheated oven for 35-45 minutes, turning occasionally, until tender and golden brown.  Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
• Meanwhile, heat butter in a large pot over medium heat.  Sauté onion in butter until soft and translucent (about 10 minutes).  Stir in the ginger and curry powder and sauté  for 1 minute.  Add the roasted squash, pears, and chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.  Cool slightly before pureeing in batches in a blender.
• Return the soup to the pot over low heat.  Stir in the milk.  Season with a dash of cinnamon and salt and ground black pepper, to taste.  Serve warm.

Serves 4-6