Butternut Squash & Apple Bisque

French women have their own version of butternut squash soup. Some recipes are complex. Some are quite simple. After testing several recipes of this popular soup, I found my favorite. My recipe is cozy and easy to prepare. This beautiful bisque is chic and special enough to serve at your Thanksgiving dinner. There's a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon in it.  If you've followed me for a while, you know I love soup. This one is a keeper.

French Apple Cake

In general, no one needs much advice. Even when requested, all anyone is searching for is sincere compassion and understanding. Phrases like "You need to" or "Why are you doing that?" can be interpreted (by stressed but fully functional humans) as arrogant and annoying. Gentle suggestions are usually okay. Attempting to boss or bend people to your will never works. Take a leap of faith, believing that people have great potential to figure it all out. In their own time and in their own way, they invariably do. Quiet support and heartfelt prayers are a good idea. Coffee and cake are always welcome too.

Roasted Carrots And Potatoes With Sea Salt And Sage

Nothing says fall like roasted root vegetables. I love this light and simple recipe. Hints of fresh sage make it very flavorful. The potatoes are golden brown on the outside with creamy centers. The sweetness of the carrots is a nice compliment to the sage.

Tiny Thai Chocolate Truffles with Coconut Milk

I'm sharing another chocolate truffle recipe with you...'tis the season after all. This time, the truffles are infused with tropical flavors and a little heat.They're easy to make. Creamy coconut milk, warm ginger, cozy cinnamon and bright lime make them sophisticated and special. They're finished with a final rolling in coarse raw sugar for crunch. I'm taking them with me to a Christmas party soon.  

Chocolate Coconut Truffles

Miniature-melt-in-your-mouth sweet and spicy confections are just the thing. They're spiked with a wee bit of chili pepper, smoked paprika and a teeny bit of sea salt. The salt enhances the flavor of the dark chocolate. The chili pepper and smoked paprika sneak up on you, hitting your taste buds when you least expect it, sending some heat and smokiness to your palate. Roll them in coconut, cinnamon or cocoa powder as a finishing touch.

Kentucky Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

I live in New England, so it's a must to have cranberry sauce on our holiday table. Aged Kentucky bourbon, citrus and spice make this recipe a winner. It's my tried and true favorite cranberry sauce...ruby-red, tangy and sweet. 

Thai Sweet Potato Bisque with Coconut Milk

This special soup is suitable for holiday entertaining. It's a great choice for a first course on a Thanksgiving menu. It can be made a day or two before the meal. It's my husband’s favorite soup! He starts requesting this as soon as fall arrives. It also receives rave reviews from my trusty taste testers at the hospital where I work.

This bisque is a healthy recipe makeover and slight departure from the more traditional French ones made with heavy cream. But, you'd never know it by the taste and texture. Creamy coconut milk mellows the assertive flavors of chili and ginger. The heat wakes up the palate in a controlled, pleasurable way. Thai basil and fresh lime juice finish things off with pep. 

Thai Sweet Potato Bisque Recipe  

Serves 6

Some Notes

Vietnamese Cinnamon is the strongest, richest and sweetest cinnamon on the  planet. I love it in this soup. Regular cinnamon is just fine too.

Rapunzel No Salt Vegetable Bouillon Cubes are my go-to choice for all my vegetable soups. This bouillon creates a broth that has a pure clean, fresh taste. I buy it by the case from amazon. You can also find it select Whole Foods supermarkets.  But you can omit it and the water and replace them with 6 cups of your favorite stock or broth..  

A roasted red pepper grounds all the flavors and counters the sweetness of the potatoes. You could leave it out if you don’t feel like doing an extra step. But it’s worth it to include it because it’ll give the soup another layer of flavor.

Ingredients

• 3 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped. (They should weigh about one pound each totaling 3-3 1/2 pounds)
• 1 roasted red pepper, halved and seeded (optional)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tiny red or green Thai pepper or a jalapeno pepper, diced. You can remove the seeds and veins of the pepper to control the heat.
• 2 limes
• 1 inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and grated 
• 6 vegetable bouillon cubes. I use Rapunzel No Salt Vegetable Bouillon.
• 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon plus more for sprinkling 
• 1/2 can of coconut milk
• Salt to taste
• Oil for cooking  
• To Serve: Thai basil or regular basil, cilantro, lime wedges, lime zest, ground cinnamon, flaky sea, toasted pepitas (pumpkin seeds), crusty bread

Instructions

To roast the pepper: Place the sliced pepper, cut side down, on an oven safe baking sheet lined with tinfoil and broil on high until the skins are charred and blackened. Remove from the oven, place the pepper in a covered bowl or wrap in tin foil to steam. Once cool enough to handle, peel the skin and discard. Chop and set aside.

In a large pot saute the onion and chili in some neutral tasting oil with a pinch of salt. Once the onion has softened, add the chopped sweet potatoes, roasted red pepper, grated ginger, 6 cups of water, 6 vegetable bouillon cubes and the cinnamon. Adjust the salt. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes have softened. Puree with an immersion blender or in a food processor. Stir in the coconut milk. Start with just a half a can and add more to your liking. Don't shake the can. Take the coconut cream that is usually at the top of the can. Finish the soup with a good dash of cinnamon, a little lime zest, lime juice and basil. Toasted pumpkin seeds are also nice sprinkled on top. Enjoy!

French Twist Cran-Raspberry Sauce

I live in New England where cranberries are plentiful and ruby red. This is a French twist on classic Thanksgiving cranberry sauce. It's sweet and tart, thick and glossy with soft banknotes of raspberry.