Squash Soup with Vanilla Crème Fraiche

So I joined another crazy blogging group of cooks!! hehe… I joined the Recipes To Rival group for November. The rules for this group are similar to the daring bakers… everyone makes the recipe selected by the host and then we all blog about our experience and then publish on the same day. The difference between these groups mainly the daring bakers bake (go figure…) and the recipes to rival group cooks.

For November the Recipes To Rival Challenge host was Meg and she chose Squash Soup with Vanilla Creme Fraiche! Mmmmm….

I LOVE LOVE LOVE squash, so I was super excited for this challenge. This recipe says it serves a bit more than 8 people… but I have way more soup that that!! In fact, I still have containers of it in my freezer (it freezes very well too by the way). My only problem with making this recipe was that I could not for the life of me find miso stir!! I eventually gave up and just omitted it from the recipe. The soup turned out fantastic!! I’m not sure what miso tastes like, but if I ever make this again I would consider leaving it out a second time just because the batch I made was delicious the way it was. The vanilla creme fraiche was ok… I didn’t really like the vanilla taste with my squash, but a number of the recipe to rival cooks loved it! And now here it is…

Squash Soup with Vanilla Creme Fraiche
From the TV Show Top Chef – Spike and Andrew

Prep Time: one hour and 30 minutes
Serves: more than 8

INGREDIENTS

Mirepoix
3 sliced leek bottoms (rinsed)
4 carrots (peeled and sliced)
10 shallots (peeled and sliced)
1 clove garlic
1/2 lb butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup miso stir
Salt and pepper

Squash
5 acorn
5 butternut
Oil for rubbing
Salt and pepper

Vegetable Stock
4 quarts water
2 white onions
4 carrots, peeled
2 leeks
6-8 button mushrooms
Bouquet garnish (parsley, bay leaves, peppercorns)

Vanilla Creme Fraiche
Creme fraiche
2 vanilla beans

Additional Ingredients
Salt to taste
Cayenne to taste

DIRECTIONS

Mirepoix
Sweat all of the vegetables with butter. Sweat down and deglaze with honey. Stir and add miso. Season with salt and pepper.

Squash
Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds and reserve one butternut head for garnish. Rub squash with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place one piece of sage under every piece of squash. Place squash face down on a sheet tray and roast at 350 degrees until done. Scoop flesh out and pass through a ricer.
Vegetable Stock:
In a pot, boil all ingredients together with the exception of the bouquet garnishes. (NOTE: allow to simmer for at least 1 hour)

Vanilla Creme Fraiche
Whip creme fraiche and scrape vanilla beans and fold in.

Soup
Combine squash and vegetable stock to desired consistency. Add mirepoix and cook. Blend with a vita prep and strain through a chinois. Season with salt and cayenne.

To Plate
Add 6 ounces of soup in bowl and spoon in creme fraiche. Garnish with bouquet garnishes.

~ by mixbyhand on December 5, 2008.