Butternut Squash Soup with Apple and Bacon

Excellent soup, perfect for fall. I often serve this to holiday houseguests arriving the evening before a food-heavy day (Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's Day). Wonderful savory flavor from the bacon and sage pairs really nicely with the tart-sweet apple. Goes really well with a salad of arugula, apple, toasted walnuts, and blue cheese dressed with an apple-cider vinaigrette (Barefoot Contessa has a great recipe for just such a vinaigrette in her Back to Basics cookbook.)