Spicy Maple Roasted Apple Soup

I like to make creamy soups with fall flavors. Earlier this year I made a nutty carrot soup and a pumpkin carrot curry soup. These are the kind of soups that deliver a particular taste profile that whisks you into Autumn, tricking you into eating healthy, comfort food.

But there can be no match for swaying into fall than apples, pushed up with cayenne peppers, sweetened with maple syrup and built up with some butter nut squash.

The inspiration comes from the Royal Foodie Joust, a food contest hosted by the Left-Over Queen, a food competition that I won back in February. The way it works is that last month’s winner of the overall competition selects three ingredients for the following month.

August’s winner, Natasha of Five Star Foodie chose, apples, maple syrup and cayenne pepper.
Natasha, I want to say thank you for the best ingredients for September. I couldn’t wait to run out and buy apples and start thinking about recipes.

I landed at soup, because last year I made a delicious pear soup but never blogged about it. I thought It will work with apples, and if you take notice, I like heat in my soup in more ways than one, so I embraced the cayenne.

I put some thought into this to make sure when you tasted this soup, you would have a thick creamy texture, and the first taste would be apples, followed by maple, followed by some heat. I didn’t want the squash to interfere with these flavors, so I roasted the apples and used the skins. I used Jonathan apples which have a good bit of acid, after a long conversation with the apple lady at the farmer’s market. I was very pleased with the apple flavor, but you could certainly use other apples. The other good news to this soup is that it is completely vegan, using only water as the broth. I originally planned on adding in some cream and then didn’t need to. It was perfect, savory and just a touch of sweet.

I topped it off with apple chips, and herbs, but you could top it with some maple infused yogurt. I sprinkled cayenne pepper on top of each serving, gingerly. This brings a medium-to full heat, and can be optional. I also used some fresh cayenne peppers to start the soup.

The result is a savory apple-flavored soup that is satisfying and comforting, yet a bit unique.

Eight Jonathan apples cut in half, placed in cast iron pan, roasted at 375 for about 30-40 minutes.

Butter Nut Squash roasted at 375 for about 40 minutes. I only used half of the squash, and soaked it with maple syrup.

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Spicy Maple Roasted Apple Soup

Spicy apple soup flavored with maple, a great way to warm up the Fall.

Ingredients

• 8 medium apples seeded, cut in half
• 1 small butternut squash enough to yield two cups
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large shallot diced
• 1 cayenne pepper diced
• 4 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4 cups water
• 4 sprigs thyme
• 2 sprigs of rosemary chopped finely
• salt pepper to taste

Instructions

• Roast apples and butternut squash for 30-40 minutes until they slip out of their skins.
• When you remove from oven, pour 2 tablespoons maple syrup into the flesh of apples and squash.
• While apples and squash are cooling, saute shallots in butter until softened,
• If using fresh cayenne pepper, add now.
• Add remaining maple syrup.
• Add 4 cups of water and herbs.
• Add flesh of butternut squash by using a large spoon to scoop out. Add flesh and skins of apples.
• Bring to a simmer. Add cayenne pepper, salt.
• Blend with stick blender.
• You may choose to add in 1/2 cup of cream or additional water,
• depending on how thin or thick you prefer your soup.
• Serve hot, topped with some apple chips, a pinch of fresh herbs. 
Optionally, add a dollop of maple infused yogurt.

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