Acorn Squash Soup

Ingredients
3 acorn squash
½ pound butter
2 carrots, diced
3 shallots, diced
1 Tablespoon whole thyme
½ Tablespoon minced garlic
½ Tablespoon sage
1 Tablespoon chicken base
1 quart water
½ cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper as needed
Method
Preheat oven to 350℉
Cut the squash in half from the core down and remove seeds. Sprinkle insides of squash with salt and pepper
Spray a sheet tray with food release and place the squash, flesh side down, on the tray and bake in oven for about 30 minutes, or until squash is soft to the touch
While the squash is cooking, sauté the carrots and shallots in the butter, until the shallots are translucent, and the carrots are soft. Turn off heat at this point.
When the squash has cooled, remove the flesh from the skin and place the flesh into the sautéed vegetables
Add the chicken base to the water and stir to blend, add to the mixture, and whisk until well blended.
Add the heavy cream and whisk again.
Add the soup to a blender, or use an immersion blender to puree the soup
Add the soup back to the pan, add salt and pepper and slowly bring the soup to a boil, stirring to keep from burning
Turn down and simmer for 10 minutes, continuing to stir
Serve with crackers or croutons
Makes 12-8-ounce servings