Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups roughly chopped onions
6 cups (about 2 pounds) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced into 1-inch pieces
3 cups (about 1 pound) sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
8 cups (64 ounces) chicken stock
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tart-yet-sweet apple, cored, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces
3 tablespoons honey 
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground mace
 ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup heavy cream

Directions

1. Melt butter in large pot. Add onions and cook over medium-low heat until soft and translucent.

2. Add butternut squash, sweet potatoes, chicken stock, salt and pepper to pot. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until vegetables are very tender, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat. Add diced apple and puree with a handheld immersion blender until very smooth and creamy. (Alternatively, use a standard blender to puree soup in batches, being careful not to fill the jar more than halfway. Leave the hole in the lid open and loosely cover with a dish towel to allow the heat to escape. Pour blended soup into a clean pot.)

3. Add honey, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg and heavy cream and stir. Bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. If you like a sweeter soup, add more honey. For a thinner soup, stir in a bit of water; to thicken, simmer and stir over low heat.

*This soup thickens as it sits. To reheat, add a bit of water to thin it back to desired consistency.