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1
Melt the butter in a large pot over med-high heat; when hot, add in the squash, leeks, carrots, and celery; saute/stir until vegetables have softened slightly, 10-12 minutes.
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2
Add in apples, thyme, and sage; add in stock and 1 cup cider.
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3
Bring mixture to a simmer; decrease heat, cover, and simmer gently until vegetables and apples are tender, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.
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4
Remove from heat and cool slightly.
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5
Meanwhile, make the cider cream--boil the remaining 1/2 cup cider in a small saucepan until it reduces to 1/4 cup, for about 5 minutes.
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6
Cool, then place sour cream in a bowl and whisk in reduced cider (cider cream can be prepared 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate until ready to use).
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7
Puree the soup in batches in a food processor, blender, or food mill and return soup to the pot (can use an immersion blender to puree the soup in the pot).
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8
Taste soup and season with salt, as needed (soup can be prepared 1 day ahead, cool, cover, and refrigerate; reheat over medium heat).
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9
For the garnish--halve and core the reserved apple, then cut one half into paper-thin slices (eat or save the remaining half for another use).
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10
To serve--ladle soup into 6 shallow bowls and drizzle with cider cream; garnish each serving with crumbled bacon and a couple of apple slices.
