Kabocha Squash and Fennel Soup with Crème Fraîche and Candied Pumpkin Seeds from Sunday Suppers at Lucques p 323. @FrogPrincesse has already reported on this one, earlier in the thread.
Alongside the soup are Crostini with Blue Cheese and Walnuts from a Deborah Madison recipe. I suspect that I browned the squash and fennel more than the recipe intended when I was roasting them so the color is dark but I rather like the toasty flavor. The recipe offers a choice of chicken or vegetable stock or water. I used the Instant Pot to make a quick stock with the skin, seeds and trimmings from the squash, fennel and onions. I used an amontillado sherry and liked the flavor it added. I substituted Greek yogurt thinned with a bit of buttermilk instead of crème fraîche.
I was going to skip the candied pumpkin seeds but I'm very glad I didn't as they only took a few minutes and add the perfect finish to the soup. The header notes say they're adult Halloween candy - they're almost like a spicy pumpkin seed brittle.
