Bourbon Apple Butternut Squash Soup With Roasted Kale Food

ROASTED ACORN, BUTTERNUT, AND APPLE SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Mix butter, brown sugar, and honey together in a bowl. Spoon about 1/6 of the butter mixture into the cavities of each of the butternut squash halves and the acorn squash halves. Arrange squash halves in large baking dishes.
• Roast squash in preheated oven for about 30 minutes. Arrange apples around the squash halves and continue baking until flesh is easily removable with a spoon, about 30 minutes more.
• When you add the apples to the oven, heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium-low heat; add onion and thyme. Cook onion, stirring frequently, until completely caramelized, about 30 minutes.
• Scoop roasted squash into a large pot; add apples and caramelized onion. Pour vegetable stock, apple cider, and water into the pot; bring to a boil and remove from heat.
• Pour soup 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. Reheat before serving, as needed.

BUTTERNUT SOUP WITH CRISPY SAGE & APPLE CROUTONS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and fry for 5 mins. Add the garlic and squash, and cook for 5 mins more. Pour in the Madeira and stock, stir in the chopped sage, then cover and simmer for 20 mins until the squash is tender.
• Blitz with a hand blender or in a food processor until completely smooth. Allow to cool in the pan, then chill until ready to serve. Will keep for 2 days or freeze for 3 months. To make the crispy sage, heat some oil (a depth of about 2cm) in a small pan, then drop in the sage leaves until they are crisp - you will need to do this in batches. Drain on kitchen paper. Will keep for several hours.
• Just before serving, reheat the soup in a pan. The texture should be quite thick and velvety, but thin it with a little stock if it is too thick.
• For the apple croutons, heat the oil in a large pan, add the apple and fry until starting to soften. Sprinkle with the sugar and stir until lightly caramelised.
• To serve, ladle the soup into small bowls and top with the apple, sage and a grinding of black pepper.

TOMATO SOUP WITH SQUASH AND KALE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the bacon, onion and a big pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the onion is tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook until softened, about 1 minute.
• Add the tomatoes, chicken broth, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper to the pot; bring to a boil. Add the squash and kale; return to a boil. Reduce to a steady simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash and kale are very tender, 15 to 18 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if needed.
• Meanwhile, combine the oyster crackers, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, the paprika and a big pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Toss until evenly coated. Spread out on the prepared baking sheet and bake, stirring once, until lightly browned and toasted, about 10 minutes.
• To serve, divide the soup among bowls and top with some of the spiced oyster crackers. Serve the remaining crackers on the side.

THOMAS KELLER'S BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP WITH BROWN BUTTER

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil. Cut the neck off the squash and set it aside. Cut the bulb in half and scoop out and discard seeds. Brush each half inside and out with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the canola oil. Sprinkle the cavities with salt and pepper and tuck a sprig of sage into each. Place cut-side-down on the baking sheet and roast until completely tender, about 1 hour. Remove the squash from the oven and let cool, then scoop out and reserve the flesh (discard sage).
• Meanwhile, using a paring knife, peel away the skin from the neck of the squash until you reach the bright orange flesh. Cut the flesh into 1/2-inch pieces (you should have about 4 cups).
• Put the remaining canola oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat, add the leeks, carrots, shallots and onions and cook, stirring often, for about 6 minutes. Add the diced squash, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook gently for 3 minutes, reducing the heat as necessary to keep the garlic and squash from coloring. Stir in the honey and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and bouquet garni, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the squash is tender.
• Add the roasted squash and simmer gently for about 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Remove from the heat and discard the bouquet garni. Transfer the soup to a blender, in batches, and purée. Strain the soup through a fine sieve into a bowl. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning. Let the soup cool, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
• Place the crème fraîche in a small chilled bowl and stir in nutmeg to taste. Whisk until the crème fraîche holds a shape. Cover and refrigerate.
• Gently reheat the soup until just hot. If it is too thick, add a little more vegetable stock. Heat a medium skillet over high heat. When it is very hot, add the butter and rotate the skillet over the heat as necessary to brown the butter evenly, scraping up any bits that settle in the bottom. As soon as the butter is a hazelnut brown, pour it into the pot of soup -- keep a safe distance, it may sputter -- then stir.
• Ladle the soup into six serving bowls. Top each with a dollop of crème fraîche. Grind some black pepper over the top and sprinkle on the chives. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top.

BOURBON BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Steps:

• Place butter in 4-quart saucepan and sauté onions over medium heat until onions turn opaque. Add squash, ginger, garlic and sauté an additional 2 minutes. Add bourbon and ignite with a lighter until alcohol has burned off.
• Add chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Add all other ingredients and simmer for 5 or more minutes.
• Blend all ingredients in saucepan with a handheld immersion mixer or blender until all of the soup has been pureed very fine, then add salt and pepper to taste.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND KALE SOUP

Steps:

• If desired, sautee onions undil tender and then add the rest of the ingredients except salt and pepper.
• Otherwise, just dump all ingredients except salt and pepper in a pot.
• Bring to a boil, then turn down to simmer. Let it simmer on medium-low heat about 15 minutes. It is done when squash cubes are soft but still hold their shape. If desired, add salt and/or pepper to taste.
• Note: I don't measure when I make this soup, the amounts of ingredients don't need to be exact.