The holiday feel of butternut squash, especially when it's combined with
ginger, as it is for his smooth, gently sweet soup. He tops it with whipped cream flecked with chopped
pecans for a number of reasons: "Usually holiday soups have a dollop of cream—adding
pecans gives it a dollop of flavor. And crunch. I think everything should have a little bit of crunch to it. Plus, this is Texas, and
pecans are Texas."
Make-Ahead: The soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat gently, adding a little chicken stock to thin the soup.