Best Restaurant Recipes | Secret Restaurant Recipes

Courtesy Wolfgang Puck

Wolfgang Puck shares his Savory Squash Soup Recipe just in time for Halloween, Thanksgiving or any autumn dining occasion. This is a perfect autumn soup and is so popular at Spago’s that it is on the menu six months a year. It can be served either warm or cold.

QUANTITY :    2 Quarts

INGREDIENTS

2 butternut squash (about 3 3/4 pounds)

1 acorn squash (about 1 3/4 pounds)

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter

1 white onion (about 4 ounces), peeled, trimmed, and finely diced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

4 cups  stock (you can try Wolfgang Puck® Free Range Roasted Chicken Stock or Wolfgang Puck® All Natural Vegetable Stock), heated

1 cup heavy cream

1 sprig of fresh rosemary

 

Garnish

Cranberry Relish (see below)

Cardamom Cream (see below)

4 tablespoons pumpkin seed oil

 

DIRECTIONS FOR SOUP

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut each squash in half and discard the 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, about 1 hour. Cool, scoop out the insides of the squash, and purée the flesh in a food processor. Reserve. (You should have about 4 cups of puréed squash.)

In a medium stockpot, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Over low heat, sauté the onion. Do not allow it to brown. Add the puréed squash and cook over very low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally. Do not allow it to bubble up. Season with the salt, pepper, ginger, and cardamom.

Pour in the stock and bring to a boil, still over low heat, stirring often. Cook about 20 minutes.

In a small saucepan, heat the cream with the rosemary sprig. Remove the rosemary and pour the cream into the soup. Transfer to a blender or food processor and process, in batches, for 2 or 3 minutes. Adjust the seasoning to taste.

 

NOTE: If desired, bake small squash until tender, scoop out, and use as individual serving bowls.

 

Cardamom Cream

Serves:  1 1/2 Cups

 

Ingredients

2 cups Heavy cream

1 tablespoon Black cardamom seeds

 

Instructions

In a small saucepan, bring 1 cup of heavy cream and the cardamom seeds to a boil. Reduce until only 1/4 cup remains. Strain through a wire sieve and allow to cool.

Add flavored cream to the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream and whip until stiff peaks form. Chill until ready to serve.

 

Cranberry Relish

Ingredients

2 cups cranberries, fresh

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Verjus or 3 tablespoons lemon juice

 

Instructions
In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Continue to cook until the mixture is thick and the berries are glazed. Allow to cool. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate until needed.

 

 

PRESENTATION OF SOUP

To serve, ladle the soup into heated bowls. Place a tablespoon of Cranberry Relish in the center, top with a dollop of Cardamom Cream, then sprinkle with chopped pecans. Drizzle pumpkin seed oil over soup.

ABOUT THIS RECIPE

Fall and winter squash have a long season and are easily stored for months on end. Because our customers love it so much, we have this soup on the menu at Spago six months out of the year. The soup can be served warm or cold. For the vegetarian, the soup can be made with a vegetable stock.

– Wolfgang Puck

 

 

– On The Gourmet Review

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