Cooking Light Golden Winter Soup With Gruyere Toasts

From cooking Light Jan 2008.....sweet butternut squash combined with the salty gruyere toasts=YUMM!

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons butter
• 5  cups  butternut squash, cubed & peeled (about 1 1/2 pounds)
• 2  cups russet potatoes, cubed & peeled (about 12 ounces)
• 1  teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2  cups leeks, sliced (about 2 medium)
• 4  cups  reduced-sodium fat-free chicken broth
• 1  cup half-and-half
• 12  ounces baguette, cut into 16 slices
• 3⁄4 cup gruyere cheese, shredded (3 ounces)
• 3  tablespoons chives, chopped
•  fresh ground black pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat broiler.
2. Melt butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
3. Add squash, potato, salt, and pepper to pan; sauté 3 minutes. Add leek; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potato is tender, stirring occasionally.
4. Place half of potato mixture in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl.
5. Repeat procedure with remaining potato mixture.
6. Stir in half-and-half.
7. Cover and keep warm.
8. For Gruyere Toasts:
9. Arrange bread slices in a single layer on a baking sheet; sprinkle evenly with cheese. Broil bread slices 2 minutes or until golden.
10. Ladle 1 cup soup into each of 8 bowls; top each serving with about 1 teaspoon chives. Serve 2 bread slices with each serving. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper, if desired.