ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SWEET POTATO BISQUE WITH SMOKED APPLEWOOD BACON

Roasted Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Bisque with Smoked Applewood Bacon image

I tried out for the show 'Master Chef' this past October in New York City. One of my fellow contestants made a pumpkin soup with applewood bacon. He made it to the next round, but sadly I did not. This is my rendition of his soup. I made it my own by using butternut squash and sweet potato and made it richer by turning this into a bisque. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Please share your comments. For less-fat option substitute half-and-half with milk or nonfat half-and-half.

Provided by Donald

Categories Soups, Stews and Chili Recipes Bisque Recipes

Time 1h45m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

1 (2 pound) butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and ground black pepper to taste
8 slices applewood-smoked bacon
1 tablespoon butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup white wine
1 ½ quarts chicken stock
1 ½ cups half-and-half
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Steps:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Combine squash, sweet potatoes, olive oil, salt, and pepper together in a bowl; toss to coat. Pour out onto a baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven, flipping the vegetables once, until slightly caramelized and tender, about 60 minutes.
Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until slightly crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings. Drain the bacon slices on paper towels; crumble bacon.
Heat bacon drippings and butter together in Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion and butter in hot butter mixture until onion is translucent, 7 to 10 minutes.
Pour the white wine into the pan and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until white wine is reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes.
Stir roasted squash mixture into onion mixture; add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until all vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
Pour vegetable mixture into a blender no more than half full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Puree in batches until smooth. Return pureed soup to Dutch oven.
Stir half-and-half into pureed soup; cook and stir over medium-low heat until soup is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Stir nutmeg into soup; season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top each with crumbled bacon.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 282.1 calories, Carbohydrate 30.1 g, Cholesterol 31.2 mg, Fat 14.6 g, Fiber 4.4 g, Protein 7.5 g, SaturatedFat 6.2 g, Sodium 788.1 mg, Sugar 6.4 g