Pumpkin Soup with cheese

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Warm up with this creamy soup. It's perfect for lunch or dinner after picking pumpkins from the patch. You can make it from fresh pumpkins or use canned for easier and faster cooking time.

Cook Time:1 hours30 min

Prep Time:1 hours

Total Time:2 hours30 min

Servings: 5

Ingredients:

? baguette (sliced on angle)

? cup butter or margarine (melted)

1 cup mozzarella or Gouda cheese (grated)

2 cups white onions (thinly sliced)

3 Tbsp butter or margarine

? cup champagne

6 cup pumpkin (fresh or canned)

4 cups chicken broth (homemade or canned)

Fresh grated nutmeg (to taste)

Salt and white pepper (to taste)

? cup heavy cream (optional)

Preparation:

Brush the bread with melted butter and toast in 400 degree oven until golden brown.

Place in soup crocks or bowl and sprinkle with grated cheese.

Sauté the onion in the 3 T butter. Add the champagne and simmer until the onions are cooked and the liquid is reduced; about 10 minutes. Set aside.

If using fresh pumpkin, cut the pumpkin in large chunks and remove the seeds.

Bake the pumpkin, skin side up, in a roasting pan in 325 degree oven for 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Scrape the meat from the skin and puree in food processor. You will need 6 cups of pumpkin.

Heat the chicken broth and whisk the puree or canned pumpkin into the hot broth and season to taste.

Spoon the onions into the soup bowls over the bread and cheese. Ladle with hot soup.