Best Calvados Laced Squash Soup With Cinnamon And Bay Leaves Recipes

BRANDY LACED PUMPKIN SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil. Brush squash flesh with 2 tablespoons oil. Place on prepared baking sheets, cut side down. Roast squash until very tender, about 1 hour. Cool 20 minutes. Remove seeds. Scoop out 6 cups squash pulp and transfer to large bowl (reserve any remaining squash for another use).
• Melt butter with remaining 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. Sauté until onions are soft, about 10 minutes. Add Calvados and simmer until almost all of liquid evaporates, about 1 minute. Discard cinnamon stick pieces and bay leaves. Add mixture to squash in large bowl and stir to combine. Working in batches, puree squash mixture in blender with chicken broth and evaporated milk until smooth. Strain into same pot, pressing on solids in strainer to extract as much liquid as possible.
• Mix sour cream, 1 tablespoon warm water, and ground cinnamon in medium bowl to blend. (Soup and cinnamon cream can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool soup slightly, then cover and refrigerate. Cover and refrigerate cinnamon cream.)
• Bring soup to simmer. Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each with dollop of cinnamon cream and serve.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH SPICED CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• To roast the squash, preheat the oven to 350°F.
• With a vegetable peeler, remove the skin from the squash. Carefully cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out and discard the seeds. Place the squash on a baking sheet and drizzle with the olive oil. Roast the squash until it is soft and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
• To make the soup, in a large soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter and then add the shallots, garlic, salt, white pepper, and spice purse. Cook until the shallots are soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook until the mixture is reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the squash, sugar, stock, and cream. Cook until all of the flavors meld together, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the spice purse and season with the cinnamon, nutmeg, and licorice root.
• Puree the soup in a blender, being careful not to overload the blender with the hot soup. (Before turning on the machine, be sure the lid is tightly secured and covered with a towel to prevent the hot mixture from escaping.)
• Strain through a fine strainer and serve with Spiced Crème Fraîche.

WOLFGANG PUCK'S SAVORY SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut each squash in half and discard seeds.
• Brush cut sides with 2 tablespoons of melted butter, season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
• Arrange the squash cut side down in a roasting pan and bake until tender, approximately 1 hour.
• Allow to cool until squash can be safely handled, then scoop out insides of squash.
• Puree the flesh in a food processor, reserve.
• This should produce about 4 cups of pureed squash.
• In a medium stockpot, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter.
• Over low heat, saute the onion, do not allow it to brown.
• Add pureed squash and cook over very low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.
• Do not allow it to bubble up.
• Season with salt, pepper, ginger and cardamom.
• Pour in stock and bring to a boil, over low heat, stirring often.
• Cook about 20 minutes.
• Add the Cream Fraiche and rosemary spring.
• Warm through, remove rosemary and adjust seasonings to taste.
• Roast the peppers over flame on stove or under broiler until skin blackens evenly.
• Allow to cool, peel off black skin, remove core and seeds; chop coarsely.
• In blender or food processor, puree the peppers, adding chicken broth until thick sauce consistency is attained.
• Season with salt and pepper, strain, and pour into plastic squeeze bottle.
• Serve the soup with swirls of the roasted red pepper coulis.

CREAMY BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH CINNAMON SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep saute pan until shimmering.
• Add butternut squash, then onion; saute, stirring very little at first, then more frequently, until squash start to turn golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low and add butter, sugar and garlic; continue cooking until all vegetables are a rich spotty caramel color, about 10 minutes longer.
• Add cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cayenne pepper; continue to saute until fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute longer.
• Add broth; bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until squash is tender, about 10 minutes.
• Using an immersion blender or traditional blender, puree until very smooth, 30 seconds to 1 minute. (If using a traditional blender, vent it either by removing the lid's pop-out center or by lifting one edge of the lid. Drape the blender canister with a kitchen towel. To 'clean' the canister, pour in a little half-and-half, blend briefly, then add to the soup.)
• Return to pan (or a soup pot); add enough half-and-half so the mixture is souplike, yet thick enough to float garnish. Taste, and add salt and pepper if needed. Heat through, ladle into bowls, garnish and serve.