An elegant soup works wonders for your holiday meals

CHICAGO TRIBUNE
This elegant leek and winter squash soup is the perfect holiday starter. "The hearty flavors of the squash and leeks complement each other and create an elegant comfort food, and you'll love the Gruyere crouton," write Debbie and Carlos Nieto in their cookbook, "Carlos' Contemporary French Cuisine," from which this recipe is adapted.
LEEK AND WINTER SQUASH SOUP WITH GRUYERE CROUTONS
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
6 shallots, coarsely chopped
3 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 leek, halved, coarsely chopped
2 medium butternut or acorn squash, peeled, halved, seeded, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon each: celery seed, cumin seed
2 cans (14 1/2 ounces each) chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon each: salt, white pepper
6 slices French baguette
3 tablespoons olive oil
6 slices Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon honey
For the soup, heat the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat; add the shallots, celery, carrots, garlic and leek. Cook, stirring, until garlic and shallots begin to turn translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the squash, celery seed and cumin seed; stir in the chicken broth. Increase the heat to medium-high; heat to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; cook until vegetables are tender, about 1 hour. Remove from heat; set aside to cool, about 25 minutes.
Puree the soup in small batches in a blender, straining each batch into a large bowl. Return the soup to the pot; add the salt and pepper. (The soup can be made to this point 1 day ahead, then reheated.)
For the croutons, heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush olive oil on both sides of bread slices. Place bread on a baking sheet; bake until tops are toasted, about 2 minutes. Remove from oven. Turn slices over; top each with a cheese slice. Return to the oven to melt cheese, watching carefully to prevent burning, about 3 minutes.
Stir cream and honey into the hot soup. Ladle soup into each of six bowls; float a crouton in center of each.
Yield: 6 servings
Nutrition information per serving: 439 calories, 65 percent of calories from fat, 32 g fat, 16 g saturated fat, 78 mg cholesterol, 24 g carbohydrates, 15 g protein, 871 mg sodium, 3 g fiber