Bob Pastorio > wrote in message >...
> Melba's Jammin' wrote:
>
> > Actually, what I had in mind was something velvety and smooth, I think,
> > remembering the Vermont inn meal. Didn't pan out that way at all. I
> > didn't work at it, either. :-) I think if I were ever going to do this
> > to try to impress someone, I'd maybe puree the squash and cooked onion
> > and then strain it. Not sure if the velvety consistency would be
> > achieved by a roux-y binder, heavy cream, a combination, or just more
> > squash. :-) I liked the curry, though. Other recipes I'd seen
> > involved ginger -- I was thinking more along the lines of a nutmeg
> > dusting. Think that sounds too much like dessert?
>
> To get that smoothness, you need to cook the squash until it's nearly
> a puree; extremely soft. Most very old soups like this use a
> combination of cream and bread crumbs for thickening. More modern ones
> use a touch of roux. The newest ones use a purer starch like arrowroot
> or corn starch mixed as a slurry with the cream.
>
> Basic technique is to cook the squash (if you're going to nuke it, I'd
> season it inside a bit before cooking - salt, pepper, touch of garlic,
> grating of nutmeg) until very tender. Virtually no resistance to the
> point of a knife. Finely chop and cook the onions in plenty of butter
> over low heat until very tender. Combine the squash and onions and
> puree. I'd use a wand blender, but a processor would work fine. Then
> add the cream and back onto the stove to finish and thicken.
>
> For service, I'd whip a little cream with a dash of either marsala
> wine or a bit of bourbon and put a generous tablespoon on top.
> Sparingly grate nutmeg over and serve. Cornbread (more caky than
> crumbly) would be good with it.
>
> I once did a pumpkin soup like this and used cake crumbs and cream to
> thicken. Nutmeg, clove, ginger, cinnamon. It was stunning. Wonderful.
> Slight sweetness, but not desserty.
>
> Pastorio

Damn. I'm e-mailing this one to myself for permanent storage....

Thank you! ;-)

C.