Maple- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

This past week had me thinking a lot about family and how much they mean to us here. We have a couple of people close to us that are not feeling 100% so I headed into the kitchen to whip up some meals for them so they can use all their time getting better and Mr. Smith headed out onto the ice to show one of our favorite little guys how to skate:

This soup is the perfect thing to warm your bones whether your just off the ice or resting up.

Maple- Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
From: Cooking with Shelburne Farms

1 medium butternut squash (about 3 pounds)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 1/2 coarse kosher salt plus more to taste
2 tablespoons creme fraiche, or heavy cream
2-3 cups vegetable or chicken stock
nutmeg and cinnamon to taste

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Using a large, sharp knife, cut the squash lengthwise down the middle. Scoop out the seeds. An ice cream scoop or serrated grapefruit spoon works well for this task.
Place the squash halves, flesh side up, in a 9 by 13- inch baking dish. Put a tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of maple syrup in each cavity. Sprinkle each half with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cover the pan with foil. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until the squash is very soft. Cool just until the squash can be handled.
Carefully pour any liquid from the squash cavities into the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade or a blender and then scoop all the flesh into the food processor. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter, remaining tablespoon of maple syrup, remaining teaspoon of salt and creme fraiche (or heavy cream). Puree until completely smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides of the food processor as necessary.
Transfer the puree to a medium saucepan, whisk in about 2 cups stock to start, and heat through over medium heat. Thin with additional stock and adjust seasoning to taste. Swirl nutmeg and cinnamon into soup as needed.