Sweet Pumpkin Bisque

This came out of a few ideas to start off a dinner with a sweet component. You can use either butternut squash or a cooking pumpkin (I used a heirloom white pumpkin) for this recipe. If you are using butternut squash, you can leave the skin on (it will break down).

Ingredients (serves about 8-10 bowls):
5 pounds winter squash or pumpkin, cut into chunks
2 small-medium apples, cored and cut into chunks
4 med carrots, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
2 medium to large onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
10-12 sage leaves, roughly chopped
1 quart vegetable or chicken stock plus water to cover squash by 1”
4 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon nutmeg (fresh if available)
Olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Topping:
4 oz mascarpone cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon honey

Directions:
In a large pot over medium heat, put the carrots, celery, onions and garlic in with some olive oil and sautee until tender then add sage leaves and sautee for a couple of minutes more. Add the squash, apples and stock and bring to a boil, cooking for about 30 minutes, until the squash is nice and soft. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 minutes, then add honey, nutmeg, salt and pepper and blend with a hand immersion blender (or break into smaller batches and blend in a blender).

For a sweet topping, take the mascarpone cheese in a cold metal bowl and use a whisk to loosen it up. Add the honey and cream and whisk until you get a nice, thick whipped cream consistency. Plate the soup and put a spoon full of the cheese mixture in the middle, topped by a few roasted seeds from the squash.