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winter squash bisque
I have been a bit distant lately. I know; I’m sorry. I entered a fiction contest on Saturday (Yeah, yeah, la-dee-dah. I’m sure I won’t win.), which meant the weeks leading up to Saturday were very busy. It was hard to concentrate on cookies and chocolate when my head was buried in tall ships and Pre-Revolutionary America.
Anyway, I did come up with a few recipes, and I figured I’d post them now, while you’re all dreaming up your Thanksgiving menus. This is the winter squash soup I promised you. By the way, it freezes beautifully, so if you want to serve it for Thanksgiving, make it now, let it cool completely, and freeze it in a big container. You can heat it up when the turkey comes out of the oven!
Coming soon: pumpkin crème brûlée, for those of you who want something a little different for pumpkin pie.
winter squash bisque
2 tablespoons butter
1 large shallot, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch of cayenne pepper
2 14 ounce (400g) cans winter squash puree (butternut squash, or even pumpkin)
1/2 cup (175g) apple cider or grape juice
1/2 a large ripe pear, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 cups (500g) homemade chicken stock
1 large sprig of fresh sage
salt to taste
2-4 tablespoons heavy cream
1. Over low heat, melt butter in the bottom of a large pot. Sauté shallot in butter until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Stir in spices and cook for a minute more.
2. Stir in squash, pear pieces, juice, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and toss in sage. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the pear pieces are tender.
3. Remove sprig of sage. Add salt (I used about 1/2 teaspoon, but the amount will vary, depending on the stock used.). Stir in cream. Serve.
8 Responses to “winter squash bisque”
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Sounds fantastic. I love butternut squash soup, and I’m sure this puts reqular soup to shame. BTW, you had me at butter and cream.
As for the creme brulee, I demand that you not put such a dangerous recipe on your site until it has been throughly tested. By me. I’ll bring a spoon Thursday.
Don’t sell your writing short!
Oooh! I’ve never tried to make this. I saw Martha Stewart make it once, but you had to cook the butternut squash and that was way too complicated for me! ha. I like the canned idea better!!!
Thanks Jaime!!!
That is gorgeous.
Um….do you need someone to come by and help with that pumpkin brulee?
Just wondering…
Love ya!
Yummy! Love anything with pumpkin in it! Thanks for sharing and good luck with your contest!
Butternut Squash Soup is a favorite in our house, and I am always looking for new recipe variations to try! This looks great.
Thanks so much for the kind words in your previous post about Citrus!
This looks yummy! Good luck with your fiction contest. Remember think POSITIVE!
Oh, that is beautiful! Question: If you used fresh winter squash, how much would you use?
If I were to use fresh squash, such as pumpkin, acorn, or butternut, I would cut them, place them on a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, and roast them at a high temperature (375 degrees farenheit), until tender. Depending on the size of the squash, this could be anywhere between 40-60 minutes. Keep an eye on them. After roasting, I would remove any skins and puree them in a food processor or a really good blender until it is smooth. After I make the puree, I would use about 4 cups.