First Recipe! Apple Pumpkin Soup.

First Recipe! Apple Pumpkin Soup.

I did it!  I've concocted my first ever completely original recipe!  Wooo!

I used vegetable broth, so this dish is also vegetarian for you freaks out there that don't eat meat.

Warning: Do not eat this soup before you have somewhere to be.  It's a heavy one.  Side affects include increased sense of peace in the world, a warm fuzzy holiday feeling and a need to snuggle.

Jess' Apple Pumpkin Soup

 Serves 6 moderately hungry people 

or 4 starving people. 

2 tbsp      butter
1/2 tsp     powdered ginger (more for a kick)
1 tsp        nutmeg
1 tsp        cinnamon, more for apples
1              15 oz Libby's canned pumpkin
1              large apple, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup    pecan pieces (more for garnish if desired)
2 cups     veggie broth
1/2 cup   water
1/2 cup   half and half
1/2 cup   cream cheese

Get out your go-to soup pot and melt 2 tbsp of butter (I know it's a lot, trust me) on medium heat.  Get it nice and hot and bubbly.  Peel your apple, coarsely chop it and add it to the butter.  Sprinkle a little palmful of cinnamon over the apples, give it a good stir and cover.  While that is simmering, coarsely chop 1/4 cup pecans and stir them in.  Let the apples get soft and brown, and when the butter is almost completely absorbed, add your 1/2 cup water and replace the lid.  Turn the stove up a little to a medium high heat and wait for the water to boil off.

When the water is gone, remove the pot from the heat, turn the stove back down to medium heat, and transfer the apple goodness to a food processor.  Add your broth to the empty pot and let that heat up.  Process the apple mixture, add a splash of water, then process some more.  At this point it should smell like your most beautiful childhood memory.

Add the apple mixture back into the broth and  WISK well.  Continue to add the pumpkin, half and half, cream cheese, and spices.  MAKE SURE YOU WISK CONTINUOUSLY WHILE ADDING INGREDIENTS.  It'll get horribly chunky if you don't.  Wisk in a 1/2 cup of water if you like runnier soup.

Ladle the soup into serving bowls through a strainer.
Garnish with a nice little mountain of rough chopped pecans and an enormous spoon to eat it with.

I have a feeling this soup would be really great as a side dish with some gorgeous pork chops.

Tip: for a stronger apple flavor, boil the apples with apple juice instead of water.

I can't wait to get started on my hobbit costume.

Happy Haunting.

♥