Puree of Roasted Squash Soup

By Hklbrries

You can garnish the soup with reduced heavy cream or crème fraîche. Serving this soup with savory biscotti, such as the Chanterelle Tarragon Biscotti (recipe in collection), is a nice addition.

Notes: To make clarified butter, follow these instructions from Gourmet magazine: Cut butter into 1-inch pieces and melt in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat and let stand 3 minutes. Skim froth with a spoon and slowly pour butter into a measuring cup, leaving milky solids in bottom of pan. Discard milky solids. One stick (1/2 cup) of butter will yield 5 to 6 tablespoons of clarified butter.

For the spice sachet, tie 1 anise star, 2 whole cloves, 1 cinnamon stick and 3 slices peeled, fresh ginger (cut 1/8 inch thick and 1/2 inch long) into a cheesecloth bag.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 pounds sugar pumpkins or squash, peeled and diced into 1-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon clarified butter (see note)
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground white pepper
• 1 cup leeks, white part only
• 1/4 cup shallots, diced fine
• 1 1/4 cups carrots, peeled and diced
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 habanero pepper, slit sides and place in cheesecloth and tie
• 1 spice sachet (see note)
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 cup roasted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)

Details

Servings 10

Preparation

Step 1

Peel, clean and cut pumpkin or squash into approximately 1-inch dice pieces.

Toss diced squash with enough clarified butter to coat and then sprinkle with kosher salt and fresh ground white pepper.

Roast pumpkin on a sheet pan in a 375-degree oven until squash is golden brown and starting to soften.

Sauté leeks, shallots and carrots in clarified butter without browning until translucent.

Add stock, habanero pepper in cheesecloth, spice sachet and roasted squash. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer.

Check constantly the spiciness of the soup. When it reaches your desired heat level remove the habanero, without squeezing and discard.

Simmer soup until the vegetables are tender, and then discard sachet bag and habanero, if you haven’t done so already.

Puree until smooth.

Return soup to heat and mix in cream which has been heated.

Reheat to 160 degrees and season to taste.

Garnish with roasted pepitas.

Nutrition Information:
Per serving
184 calories
16 grams fat (79 percent fat calories)
2 grams protein
8 grams carbohydrates
55 milligrams cholesterol
2 grams dietary fiber
1,904 milligrams sodium