It pulls all the feels of fall into one bowl and leaves your soul feelin ’... well , fall-ish !

This bisque could be riding the lines of more of a Hodge-podge , but since the majority of the soup is based around the butternut I keep the name simple : Butternut Bisque . The steps to bringing this bisque to life are fairly simple , like the ingredients .

In this recipe we will be adding in carrots to bring a sweet balance to the soup , followed by a few salty elements to tie it all together . Seriously , she ’ s a crowd pleaser !

Side Note : Not to toot my own horn but this recipe did take a win while I was studying culinary and made the “ cookbook !" Every few years the teaching chefs gathered recipes that were excellent and put a cookbook together for clients and students to purchase . This would help fund the Sesnon House where I was able to do my culinary internship hours . It was a beautiful historic mansion with a picturesque garden that ' s perfect as a wedding venue .

The property sits high atop Soquel Drive and offers stunning views of Santa Cruz and the surrounding area . I so loved going to school here . From the teaching staff to the location .

I went to school a little older in age than most , it really made me appreciate it so much . The Sesnon House is open for lunch and dinner services and can be rented out for events , wine dinners , weddings , and more . It is completely serviced by culinary students and their teaching staff . Check it out or drop by for a visit to support the program that helped mold me . Check out the website at : https :// extension . cabrillo . edu / facilitiesrentals / sesnonhouse /

Butternut Squash Bisque

2 med Butternut squash ( 10-12 oz ) 2 small sweet yellow onion 6-8 carrots 4-5 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons avocado oil S / P TT 5-6 sprigs fresh thyme Fresh grated nutmeg TT 8 C ( roughly ) chicken stock or vegetable stock . 1 / 4 c heavy whipping cream 1 / 2 diced pancetta 1 / 2 creme fraiche Handful roasted pepitas ( pumpkin seeds )

Get your large stock pot ready . I like to use my 13 qt Le Creuset .

Peel , de-seed and roughly dice butternuts into large chunks , nothing larger than a golf ball in size . Do the same with the onion and carrots , removing the skin followed by the rough chop . Best thing about this recipe is it ' s all going to get blended so it doesn ’ t have to be diced pretty making for a fast and easy prep .

Add 4 Tbsp of butter and your oil into your pot on medium heat . Once your butter starts melting add in your butternut , onion , and carrots . Give it a good mix and let the butter glaze the vegetables for about 2 mins .

Add a pinch of salt and pepper and toss in your fresh thyme . Go another couple minutes occasionally stirring just enough to keep anything from over browning . At this point you should start to smell the aromatics ( love this part !)

Add in your stock and bring to a boil . 8-10 min

Note : bring your stock to a simmer beforehand so you ' re adding warm into warm . Adding cold stock to hot vegetables will slow the cooking process .

( Continued ...)

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