Goat Cheese And Butternut Soup With Maple Candied Bacon Food

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND BACON SOUP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray. Place butternut squash, onion, bell pepper and bacon in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Add olive oil and garlic; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Gently toss to combine. Place into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until butternut squash is tender, stirring at halftime.* Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add butternut squash mixture and thyme, and cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in chicken stock and puree with an immersion blender. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 5-10 minutes. If the soup is too thick, add more chicken stock as needed until desired consistency is reached. Serve immediately, garnished with bacon, goat cheese and chives, if desired.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP SHOTS WITH CANDIED BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Cut squash in half lengthwise, remove seeds, and place cut side down on baking dish; add 1/2 inch of water and bake until fork tender, about 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, trim leeks, slit lengthwise and wash thoroughly.
• Rough chop the white and light green parts (save tough green tops for making stock).
• In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium low heat.
• Saute leeks for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, then add curry powder.
• Scoop out squash flesh and add to pot; pour in chicken broth, ginger, maple syrup, and salt.
• Simmer 30 minutes.
• Puree the soup using an immersion blender, or a regular blender or food processor in batches.
• While soup is simmering, you can prepare the bacon.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a heavy skillet, over medium heat, cook bacon, in batches, until lightly browned, but not crisp; drain on paper toweling.
• Meanwhile, combine brown sugar, cayenne, and black pepper.
• Arrange bacon strips on a parchment or brown paper lined baking tray and coat with brown sugar mixture.
• Bake until sugar is caramelized and bacon is crisp, about 5 minutes; transfer to brown paper to cool (will stick to paper towels).
• Reheat soup, if necessary, and serve in shot glasses with 1/2 slice of bacon standing up in it - or serve in bowls as a soup course with crumbled bacon.

CANDIED BACON WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, combine the sugars with the pepper, mixing until well blended. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or quick-release foil (regular foil works just as well) and spread the sugar mixture over the sheets. Press one strip of bacon at a time into the sugar mixture, then flip it over to coat the other side. Place the bacon strips side by side on the sugar as you finish, to form a single layer in the pan.
• Repeat with the remaining bacon on the other cookie sheet. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the cookie sheets in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the bacon is darkened and cooked through. Remove sheets from oven and let cool for 5 to 7 minutes.
• Once the bacon has cooled and hardened, cut the strips in half and top each with a dollop of goat cheese.

GOAT CHEESE AND BUTTERNUT SOUP WITH MAPLE CANDIED BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil; drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Place squash, onion, and thyme sprigs on prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with remaining oil and roast, tossing occasionally, until golden and beginning to brown, about 35 minutes. Remove thyme leaves from stems.
• Line a second rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place bacon slices on sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle bacon with maple sugar.
• Bake in preheated oven until browned and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain on paper towel-lined plate.
• Bring Swanson® Chicken Broth to a simmer in a large stockpot. Add half of the roasted vegetables, thyme leaves, and goat cheese. Blend with a hand-held immersion blender. Add remaining vegetables, thyme leaves, and goat cheese. Blend until smooth. Stir in the kale.
• Serve topped with a slice of candied bacon.