I bought a butternut squash at the farmer’s market for $.50 a pound, so my 1.25 pounds of squash cost me a mere 75 cents!  I had soup in mind when I bought it, so for dinner one night, I decided to do a twist on the classic grilled cheese and tomato soup combo.  The was fall comfort food that was relatively simple to make.

Butternut Squash Soup

makes 4 servings

6 cups of butternut squash, cubed

2 apples, cored and quartered

1/2-3/4 cup of milk/cream

Salt, pepper, cinnamon, and nutmeg to taste

Croque Monsieur

makes one sandwich

Two slices of Udi’s gluten-free bread

2 slices of muenster cheese

1-2 strips of prosciutto

2 tablespoons butter

Start with your soup.  Boil a pot of water, then get to your squash.  Chopping the squash is the hardest part of this meal.  I recommend a combination of sawing and force to halve your 1.25 pounds of squash.  I honestly don’t know the “correct” way to do this, so if someone has a better method other than starting on both sides and letting your cuts meet in the middle, please let me know.  Anyway, once its halved, peel the skin, scoop out the seeds (and toast them if you’d like), and cube it.  The cubes just have to be small enough to soften in boiling water in order to puree later.  I have a handy dandy apple quarter-er that I use for my apple dishes and it saves lots of time.

Put your apples and squash in the water and let it soften so that its easily pierced with a fork, but not falling apart.  Transfer the softened pieces into a food processor and puree, adding the boiling water if its too thick.  I also used cream to thin my soup.   This isn’t necessary and water will do the trick fine, but I like the cream because it adds a silky texture.  Then transfer the puree back to your emptied pot, heat, and season with salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cinnamon to taste.

It’s time to make your croque monsieur.  A croque monsiueur a French grilled cheese with ham.  Another variation is the croque madame, which also includes an egg.  While your soup is keeping warm, heat up a small saute pan with some butter and butter the outside slices of your bread.  Pile the muenster and prosciutto onto one slice and put it outside face down on the pan along with the other slice, buttered side down.  Let the bread get nice and browned and the cheese all melty and then reassemble your sandwich.  You can flip it a couple times if you want it slightly more burnt.  Plate the sandwich and Serve the soup on a bowl on the same plate.  This makes it easier to dip without messes.  Dip your sandwich into the soup as often or as infrequent as desired!