Butternut Squash Soup

 

 

 November 3, 2008 -  Carolyn bought two packages of Butternut Squash from Costco, already peeled and diced.  Also, we didn’t have any bacon or soup base. Or duck fat. So I improvised the original recipe (below).  The soup turned out as good or better!

 

Yield:  10-12 servings

• 1 or 2 tablespoon butter
• 1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, diced
• salt to taste (I used 1 teaspoon)
• 2 – 32 oz. packages Del Monte Butternut Squash
• 8 cloves fresh garlic (squeezed through a press)
• 8 drops Liquid Smoke
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 Knorr’s vegetable bullion
• 1 medium Idaho potato, peeled and chopped (into 3/4 inch pieces)

Place butter and oil in a heavy 4 or 5 quart pot over medium heat.  Add onions and several tablespoons of water.  Cover and cook about 10-12 minutes on medium heat, until tender but not brown.  Add garlic at the half-way point.

 

Add thyme, white pepper, salt, squash, bullion, and Liquid Smoke.  Cover and cook 15 minutes.  Add chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Add potato, cover, and cook until squash is completely tender; about 35-40 minutes.

 

Allow to cool for 20 minutes.  Puree mixture in a blender or processor, in stages.  Return to pot, and check seasoning; add salt to taste.  (I did not add additional salt.)

 

 

*   *   *

 

The back story . . .

 

In late January, 1999, I began visiting the architects (Davis Brody Bond) for the Northwestern University Medical School Research Building Project to hold bi-monthly project meetings. The project manager, Tony Louvis, took care that my stays were pleasant. He arranged for my stay at the relatively new Soho Grand Hotel. Inevitably we visit the better restaurants in Soho and Tribeca.  On the evening of my first visit we dined at "Montrachet" and enjoyed an exquisite squash soup with smoked duck prosciutto. On my next trip, I found a recipe in the dining section of the New York Times for a butternut squash soup that rivals the one I enjoyed with Tony. Of course, I deviated slightly from the recipe adapted from chef Christian Delouvrier.  My version appears below, with notes to allow creating Delouvrier's original.  (February 28, 1999 - jrb)

 

Yield:  6 generous servings

 

1 tablespoon butter (or duck fat)

2 medium onions, sliced

salt to taste

5 ounces smoked bacon, chopped (freeze bacon before dicing very finely)

2 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and chopped (I used one large squash and chopped it into 3/4" cubes)

6 cloves garlic, chopped (I used equivalent of Polaner garlic that comes chopped, in a glass jar)

1 spring fresh thyme (I used 1/4 teaspoon dried, crushed thyme)

4 cups chicken broth

1/4 teaspoon Orrington Farm Chicken Flavored Soup Base (not in original recipe, but I used canned broth rather than home made)

1 small Idaho potato, peeled and chopped (into 3/4 inch pieces)

Freshly ground black pepper

 

Place 1 tablespoon of butter in a heavy 4 or 5 quart saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions, season with salt, cover and cook about 10 minutes, until tender but not brown.

 

Add bacon, squash, garlic and thyme.  Cover and cook 15 minutes.  Add chicken broth and soup base, and bring to a boil.  Add potato and season with pepper, and, if desired, additional salt (I did not add any salt).  Cover, and cook until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.

 

When vegetables are tender, remove spring of thyme (if you used fresh).  Puree mixture in a blender or processor.  Return to pot, and check seasoning; add salt to taste.  (I did not add salt.)

 

 

Ingredients and part of recipe I did not prepare:

 

1 tablespoon butter (or duck fat)

8 brussels sprouts, trimmed

4 ounces duck sausage, in 1/2-inch cubes (optional)

4 ounces fresh duck foie gras, in 1/2-inch cubes (optional)

12 chanterelle mushrooms, quartered

3 tablespoons creme fraiche

 

While the vegetables are cooking, bring a small saucepan of water to boil, add brussels sprouts and blanch 2 minutes.  Refresh water under cold water, drain well and pull off leaves, discarding the cores.  Set aside.

 

Heat butter in a nonstick skillet.  Add sausage cubes, if using; saute until they start to sear; then add foie gras, if using, and saute a minute or two, until they are lightly browned.  Drain on paper towel, and cover to keep warm.  In the same pan saute brussels sprout leaves and chanterelles 5 minutes.  Set aside to keep warm.

 

Place the pureed soup over medium heat, and bring to a boil.  Stir in creme fraiche.

 

Place equal portions of sausage, foie gras, brussels sprout leaves and chanterelles in center of each 6 warm soup plates and serve them.  Ladle hot soup into each plate at the table.

 

 

 

Restaurant Review:

 

Montrachet

                       239 W. Broadway, between Walker and White Sts.

                       New York City, NY

                       Phone: 212/219-2777

                                                                   French

                                                                   Over $60

                       Enterprising restaurateur Drew Nieporent's trendsetting first restaurant , still

                       one of New York's finest, keeps the food at center stage. Pastel walls, plush

                       mauve banquettes, and engaging works of art set an unpretentious tone.

                       Two three-course menus as well as a five-course tasting affair are offered.

                       For a satisfying dinner, start with rabbit salad with roasted peppers, then try

                       the signature truffle-crusted salmon in red-wine fumé, and finish off with the

                       puddinglike banana-chocolate gratin, quickly finished under the grill. The

                       distinguished wine list emphasizes diminutive regional vineyards. Bargain

                       hunters take note: A $19.99 lunch is offered on Friday year-round. AE.

                       Reservations essential. Closed Sun. No lunch Mon.-Thurs. or Sat.