honeynut
squash soup
This is a dish I developed for one of the restaurants I worked for, made in the late autumn/early winter. While the soup on its own is quite rich, it’s balanced with acidity from pickled golden raisins and caramelized shallots that have been deglazed with an orange-flavored cognac called Grand Marnier. The effervescence of the alcohol with orange really helps lighten the dairy notes. Toasted pumpkin seeds add that final pop of texture to complete the dish!
Ingredients
Honeynut Squash Soup
1 honeynut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into large dice (koginut or butternut squash works as well)
1/2 part cream by weight of diced squash
1/2 part whole milk by weight of diced squash
Salt
Honey
White pepper
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Pumpkin Seeds
30g pumpkin seeds
10g neutral oil
1g sage
1g cumin seeds
Salt to taste
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Pumpkin Seed Oil (reserved from above)
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Caramelized Shallot Puree
300g shallot, sliced 1/4 inch thick
75g Grand Marnier
Salt
Sherry vinegar
White pepper
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Pickled Golden Raisins
Golden raisins (Sultanas)
Pickling liquid to cover (9:5:3:1 ratio of
water : rice vinegar : sugar : salt)
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To Assemble
Sauté the squash in butter and season with salt and white pepper. Cook until the squash gets slightly soft, breaking down a little, approximately 7 minutes and add a heaping tablespoon of honey.
Mix the honey into the squash and stir until the water is cooked out.
Add the cream and milk, cover with a parchment lid and simmer over low heat for approximately 20 minutes until the squash is completely soft. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
Blend and pass through a strainer, cool immediately over an ice bath. Season with salt, more honey, and white pepper to taste.
Toast everything over medium heat until the pumpkin seeds turn slightly golden, about 5 minutes. Shake the pan constantly to get an even heat distribution.
Remove the sage and strain, reserving the oil for garnish.
Lay the seeds out onto a tray lined with paper towels and season with a pinch of salt. Let cool and sore in an airtight container in the fridge.
Heat a pan over high heat until a droplet of water dances on the surface. Make sure you have your shallots, salt and a wooden spoon nearby for this next step.
Add about a tablespoon of oil and the shallots, stirring immediately so the shallots don’t burn.
Season with a pinch of salt to help the shallots release their water and continue stirring over high heat until the shallots take on some color. If the bottom of the pan starts to turn a dark brown, add some water to deglaze.
Set the heat to low and continue cooking the shallots, stirring every 5 minutes or so until dark brown. Season with a drop or two of sherry and a crack of white pepper.
Now turn the heat to high and add the Grand Marnier, stirring often to evaporate the alcohol and scrape the fond on the bottom of the pan.
Take it off heat and taste. It should be slightly effervescent, sweet, and full-flavored. The texture should be jammy with the shallots completely broken down and soft.
Transfer the shallots to a blender and add enough water to almost cover. Blend on high for 2 minutes until the puree is completely smooth.
Taste one last time and adjust with salt (lacks flavor), sherry vinegar (too salty) and white pepper (missing that "kick") if necessary.
Bring the pickling liquid to a boil and pour over raisins in a heat-proof container. Cool to room temperature and store in the fridge for up to 3 months.
The flavor will become more sour and vinegar-forward over time so check up on these from time to time. If it becomes too sour, blend everything into a puree and add water until the vinegar flavor is diluted.
Place a large spoonful of the caramelized shallot puree and five raisins in a small bowl. Cover with the hot soup and garnish with pumpkin seeds and oil.