Sherried Pumpkin Soup with Candied Apple

Ingredients

 * 1) 1 cup diced onions
 * 2) 1 cup diced carrots
 * 3) 1 cup diced celery
 * 4) 1 cup diced leeks
 * 5) 1 teaspoon minced garlic
 * 6) 1/4 cup clarified butter
 * 7) 1 cup sherry
 * 8) 1 gallon pumpkin, roasted and peeled
 * 9) 1 cup rice
 * 10) 1 gallon chicken stock
 * 11) 2 cups cream
 * 12) salt and pepper to taste
 * 13) pumpkin seeds
 * 14) apples

Directions
Sauté all vegetables in clarified butter until translucent. Deglaze with sherry and reduce by half. Add chicken stock, rice, salt and pepper, and pumpkin. Cook until rice is exploded (very overcooked). Blend or process, then run through a sieve. Add cream just before reheating.

Garnish with roasted pumpkin seeds and julienned granny smith apples, which have been sauteed in butter and turbinado sugar (carmelized) or add dumplings made with your favorite biscuits with chopped carmelized apples in the dough.