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Butternut Squash Soup with Vanilla Essence

5 star rating
 

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Submitted by: Chef Ricardo

 

Creamy butternut squash, flavored with vegetables, vanilla, brown sugar and cinnamon. Your guests will love this one.
 

Ingredients

  • 3 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and diced
  • 4 carrots, peeled and diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 leek, whites only, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, smashed
  • 5 qts chicken stock
  • 2 bananas, sliced
  • 1 Tahitian vanilla bean
  • 5 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 3 Tbsp butter
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 3 thyme sprigs
  • Salt and pepper to taste

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Method

Heat oil in 12 qt stockpot. Add squash and carrots and cook for 2 minutes. Add celery, onion, leek, and garlic. Stir often making sure not to brown too much. Add butter and sweat until all vegetables are semi-soft. Place bananas in an oven safe dish with 3 tbsp brown sugar evenly spread on top. Put into oven until sugar starts to caramelize (10 min at 375 degrees). Add bananas and sugar mixture to stockpot. Slowly stir for 2 minutes. Add 4 qts simmering chicken stock. While waiting for soup to come back up to a simmer, place thyme in cheesecloth to make a boquet garni (coffee filter has same effect) and tie with butcher's twine. Submerge bouquet garni in broth. Cut vanilla bean lengthwise. Using the back of your knife, scrape out inside. Place both filling and 2 halves of vanilla bean into soup. Also add cinnamon sticks, salt, pepper, and remaining brown sugar. Let simmer for 1 hour. Remove and discard bouquet garni, cinnamon sticks, and vanilla beans. Blend soup using a blender, adding additional chicken stock for consistency. Check for seasoning. Add salt, pepper, and brown sugar to taste.

 

Notes: A great garnish, if you can get a hold of them, is butterscotch pears. Peel one and dice very small. Place in sautee pan with hot oil. Add 1 1/2 tbsp brown sugar. Cook until caramelized, but still firm. Add small amount of salt. Place on top of soup in the center with chiffonade of sage over the pears.

 

Number of Servings: 12

 

Submitted by: Chef Ricardo ()

 

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