T-Day burnout? Relief is at hand: Curried Butternut Squash Soup!

You know and I know there's a good chance you'll be having turkey burnout after Thanksgiving....or just plain burnout leading up to the day. Given how heavy everything is going to be, you don't really need to be piling onto a body already screaming for relief. I mean how clogged can your artery's get? So for something a bit lighter, but still with more than enough flavor to make you feel like you're not cheating your tastebuds, this awesome curried butternut squash soup is the total deal. Insanely easy to make (and as I said this is the week to make it simple where you can), and so satisfying. The roasted squash gives it boatloads rich flavor, the curry paste kicks in just the right amount of heat, and the creamy texture gives it kind of a sexy, sensual feel in your mouth. Assuming you're in to that sort of thing!

I adapted this from an epicurious/Bon Appetit recipe (where they called it a "Bisque". Hey B.A., it's a fucking soup, okay? I don't need to call it anything else to validate myself....geez...posers!), making it a bit lighter than they called for in their usual heavy handed, satisfy "fat America" way. It would also be a killer make-ahead first course for a dinner party.
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Curried Butternut Squash Soup
adpated from Bon Appetit

makes 6 servings

ingredients:
2 2-pound butternut squash, halved lengthwise, seeded
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped peeled apple
2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste
28 oz. low-salt chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup whole milk
1 tablespoons honey

6 tablespoons sour cream, stirred to loosen (optional)
Chopped fresh cilantro

method:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush cut side of squash with oil; place squash, cut side down, on large rimmed baking sheet. Roast until tender, about 1 hour. Cool slightly. Scoop squash out into large bowl. Measure 3 cups squash (reserve any remaining squash for another use).

Melt butter in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrots, and apple; sauté 5 minutes. Add curry paste; stir 2 minutes. Add chicken broth, bay leaves, and 3 cups squash. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered 1 hour. Discard bay leaves. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return to same pot. Stir in cream and honey. Season with salt and pepper. Rewarm over medium-high heat.

Divide soup among bowls. Drizzle with sour cream; sprinkle with cilantro.

note: you can also hand blend it or use a food processor, although neither will give it as velvety a texture as a good upright blender. For so many soups, I think a blender is SO worth the investment! -bb

Savory starts and sweet finishes!

So we had these people over Sunday who were there to chow down on some rocking good, home-style meatloaf (see post below) during our anti-turkey dinner party, but you can't just throw some slabs of meat down on the plate with a couple of sides and call it good. Well, maybe you can, but not in our world. Besides, the more courses we serve, the more good bottles of wine we can open! With that in mind, both w and I came up with our own value-added contributions to go with the Good Eats Meatloaf....a before and after course...to keep the party going.

I love good soup, and am always on the lookout for something different, interesting, and if it's easy, especially on a night when people are coming over, all the better. This recipe from the New York Times' food writer Mark Bittman seemed to fit the bill perfectly. I've never had, much less made, an apple soup, but the combination of apple and fennel sounded too intriguing to pass up. This was also incredibly easy to put together, and with a couple of modifications to the original recipe, way delicious!

In the soup...warm, silky smooth goodness!








w was in charge of the after diner portion of our night of over-indulgence, and she had her eye on a very seasonal pumpkin mousse. When it comes to dessert, I've already stated that I am a huge "cake guy". But then there really aren't too many desserts that I won't get with. Being a fan of all sweet things served in ramekins, though, this one sounded too good....and it was! Not too heavy, with that light, fluffy, um....moussey texture. It was a perfect finish to the evening, especially served with a big ginger cookie.

Pumpkin mousse....like pudding, only better!









These were both fantastic, and again, SO easy. Big wow factor with minimal effort....the perfect dinner party equation!

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Apple-Fennel Soup
adapted from Mark Bittman

ingredients:
3 apples (Granny Smith, Winesap, Cameo or Cortland)
1 medium-size fennel bulb, stems removed, diced
1 shallot, sliced
2 small inner stems celery, with leaves
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
Juice of 1 lemon
1 2/3 cups heavy cream
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 oz. sweet Italian sausage

method:
1. Peel and core 2 1/2 apples and place in 3-quart saucepan with fennel, shallot, celery, stock, wine, salt and pepper. Simmer 20 minutes, until all are tender.

2. Meanwhile, core and finely dice remaining half apple, toss with half the lemon juice, cover tightly or seal in a sandwich bag and set aside.

3. Put sausage into small skillet, crumble and brown until slightly crisp. Remove from pan and set aside.

4. Purée contents of saucepan in a blender; return to pot. Whisk in remaining lemon juice, cream and mustard. Bring to a simmer, check seasonings and serve, with diced apple and a few bits of crumbled sausage, garnishing each portion.

Yield: 6 servings.

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Pumpkin Mousse
recipe courtesy Dave Lieberman/FoodTV

ingredients:
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup superfine sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Ginger snaps, for garnish

method:
Combine pumpkin, 1 cup cream, sugar and spice in a medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes. Cool fully.

Whip remaining heavy cream and vanilla to soft peaks and fold into cooled pumpkin mixture. Pour into a serving dish and crumble the ginger snaps over top before serving.