Pumpkin Bisque

Fall is maybe my favorite season of the year. When the leaves start to change and you wake up to frost on the ground, leaves rustling, and the smell of a fireplace lingering in the morning air, it's a wonderful time of the year. Time for making apple butter, fruitcakes, hearty stews, and belly-warming soups.

You can use pumpkin for this soup but any good winter squash will work just fine like butternut, acorn, and cushaw. I especially like cushaw, a striped crookneck winter squash, which is very hearty and will keep in a cool pantry all winter and sometimes until the next harvest if it is stored right.

So one bright and sunny, crisp fall day put a pot of this on the stove and enjoy this delicious soup for dinner with a nice salad of bitter greens topped with Parmesan Seeded Bread Croutons and a great glass of wine. You will be glad you did. Enjoy!

Makes 20 servings

Bisque Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 leeks, sliced and rinsed
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 8 cups cubed fresh pumpkin or other winter squash
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage
• 2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 cups heavy cream or half and half

Method

1. In a large soup pot melt butter and sauté garlic, leeks, celery, and onions until soft.
2. Add pumpkin, bay leaves, thyme, sage, chicken stock, brown sugar, salt, and pepper.
3. Cook until veggies are soft, up to 5 minutes.
4. Add heavy cream and puree the soup.
5. Adjust seasonings as needed and serve at once.

This soup is great with a dollop of crème fraîche and a few snipped chives.

Nutrition Facts 

Serving Size: 10 oz (283g)  Servings Per Recipe: 20
Calories: 150  Calories from Fat: 80

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Contains:  Milk

Parmesan Seeded Bread Croutons Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh garlic, minced 
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 5 slices Seeded bread cut into cubes

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix butter, Parmesan cheese, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, and salt together in a large, flat-bottomed bowl; add bread cubes and turn with a spatula to coat. Spread coated bread cubes onto a baking sheet.
2. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm on Bisque.

Note: Cool croutons completely before storing in an airtight container.

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 serving (41g)  Servings Per Recipe: 6
Calories: 25  Calories from Fat: 10

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Contains:  Milk, Egg