Enjoy this festive soup recipe from Myra Sable's original "Elegant Entertaining Cookbook".

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1/3 cup sweet butter
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp white pepper
• Pinch cinnamon
• 3 cups milk
• 2 cups mashed or puréed cooked pumpkin or squash
• 1/3 cup heavy or whipping cream
• 2 tbs dark rum

Preparation:

1. Place walnuts on a baking sheet.  Toast in a 350^oF (180^oC) oven for about 10 minutes. 
2. In a large saucepan, melt butter; stir in flour, salt, pepper, and cinnamon until blended.  Gradually add milk, whisking constantly until mixture is smooth.
3. Bring to a boil and cook, whisking, until mixture is thickened.
4. Whisk in pumpkin and cream.  Cook about 2 minutes longer to heat through.  Stir in rum.
5. Ladle into hot soup bowls.  Garnish with toasted chopped walnuts.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Serving Suggestion from the Sable & Rosenfeld Culinary Team

This soup contributes to your table décor when served in pumpkin bowls.

Choose 6-8 small baking pumpkins or sweet dumpling squash of similar size.

To make the bowls:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut a large circle around the stem of each pumpkin.

Remove the lid and scoop out the seeds and fibers and if necessary enough "meat" to create bowls.

Place the pumpkins and lids on the baking sheet and roast until tender, 20 -35 minutes, depending on the size.