Winter squash soup - Dairy Foods

I had a very laid back Halloween making dinner and having a couple drinks with my husband Erik and good friends Libby and Biffer. We planned a fall-appropriate dinner, here's the menu:

Mini crab cakes (these weren't really fall-inspired but I just wanted to make them because they're delicious!)
Winter squash soup
Cauliflower "mashed potatoes"
Garlic rosemary roasted chicken
Halloween candy (for dessert! We bought so much candy hoping for a lot of trick or treaters and only ended up with about 15 the entire night).

We had a really nice and relaxing evening. Even though we were busy in the kitchen, we were very organized and timed everything just right. Everything was great but the soup was particularly delicious. Here is the recipe (from Smitten Kitchen, adapted from Bon Appetit).

A couple notes, we used sharp white cheddar because gruyere was super expensive ($16.99 per pound!). I also burned the crouton, oops! Be sure to watch closely when the bread is under the broiler! We also used dried herbs instead of fresh. I'd prefer to use fresh, but it can get very expensive in the off-season. If using dried, use less then what they recommend for fresh. Just be sure to taste along the way. Another thing I love about this soup is that though it's very creamy, it is very healthy and mostly consists of vegetables. I would count one serving of soup as 1-2 points on Weight Watchers.

Winter Squash Soup with Gruyere Croutons
Serves 8

Soup
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled acorn squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 cup whipping cream

Croutons
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
24 1/4-inch-thick baguette bread slices
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

For soup: Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, all squash and herbs; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return soup to same pot. Stir in cream and sugar; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.)

For croutons: Preheat broiler. Butter 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange bread, buttered side up, on baking sheet. Broil until golden, about 1 minute. Turn over. Sprinkle cheese, then thyme and sage over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with croutons and serve.

Cutting/cubing squash is not an easy task. Thanks to Libby for taking this on.