Butternut squash chowder with pears and ginger

This soup was really good and very easy. I got the original recipe from epicurious, although I did make a few modifications but nothing major. This soup goes perfectly with a grilled pear goat cheese sandwich. I think next time I would use a little more ginger and garnish with some goat cheese! Yum!

2 Bosc pears, diced
Juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup peeled and diced sweet onion
1 stalk celery, diced
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon peeled minced fresh ginger
2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced (about 3 cups)
1 baking potato (about 12 ounces), peeled and diced
5 cups Vegetable Stock or store-bought
1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt to taste

Place the pears in a bowl with the lemon juice, cover with water, and set aside.

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over high heat until lightly smoking. Add the onion, celery, and carrot, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 1 minute longer, stirring constantly.

Drain half of the pears, reserving the other half in the lemon water for garnish. Add the drained pears to the pan with the squash, potato, and stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, or until the squash is tender. Transfer half of the soup in batches to a blender and puree until smooth. Add the orange juice, lemon juice (tablesppon NOT the lemon juice the pears soaked in), cream, salt, and the reserved pears and gently warm the chowder through (do not boil).