Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

1Preheat oven to 230°C (450°F). Peel and cut butternut squash into large dice (6 cups/1.5 L dice). Peel, core and dice apples to similar size. Chop celery and onion to similar size. Peel and roughly crush garlic cloves. Place veggies and apple in large roasting pan. Add the olive oil, cinnamon, paprika, turmeric, nutmeg, salt and pepper; mix to coat. Drizzle honey overtop. Roast until veggies and apple are caramelized, 25 to 30 min., mixing occasionally.

2Transfer mixture, plus any pan juices, into a large soup pot. Deglaze the roasting pan with about 1 cup (250 mL) of the vegetable broth, scraping up the brown bits (fond) from the bottom of the pan. Add the pan liquids and the rest of the vegetable broth to the pot. Loosely cover and bring to a rapid simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook until the vegetables are very tender, 20 to 25 min. Using an immersion or countertop blender, purée the hot soup smooth (Note: If using a countertop blender, remove the clear centre cap of the blender lid to allow for steam release. Purée the hot soup -- lid on and a folded tea towel placed loosely over the cap opening -- in one-third blender batches.) Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed. Transfer batches of puréed soup into another large pot (for reheating if necessary).

3Melt the butter in a small frypan over medium heat. Add the sage leaves to fry briefly, just until crisp. Use a fork to lift the fried sage leaves out of the butter and onto a piece of paper towel to drain. Swirl the butter in the pan, until it reaches a pale golden brown colour, 2 to 3 min. Pour into a bowl (Note: If the brown butter stays in the pan, it could overbrown).

4Ladle the hot soup into bowls. Drizzle with the brown butter. Garnish with a sprinkling of the salad topping and crumbled fried sage leaves to serve.