Squash and Apple Bisque
Speed - 95%
Simplicity - 95%
Tastiness - 100%
97%
Delicious.
Squash and apple simply work together in a cream soup. Fruity, savory, creamy, comforting.
Ingredients
- 250 Grams Squash diced
- 2 Pieces Apples diced
- 1 Pieces White Onion minced
- 1/2 Stick Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Flour
- 1/2 Cups White Wine
- 1 Liter Stock
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
Instructions
- Sautee onions in butter.
- Add squash and apples. Roast.
- Deglaze with white wine. Reduce.
- Dust with flour.
- Whisk in stock.
- Transfer to slow cooker. Cook for 4 hours on low.
- Puree.
- Stir in cream.
This is my favorite cream soup recipe. Apples and squash just work together. It really is amazing how all those fruity flavors could end up into something so savory and comforting.
Let me share you this recipe in specific, its structure more importantly, so you'll end up whipping up your own cream soups out of any produce you could think of.
Start with some fat. Butter in this case for its flavor that blends perfectly with our main ingredients. Going for Mediterranean flavors? Use olive oil. Making an Indian Puree of Chickpea Soup? Use ghee. Want a smoky flavored bisque? Render off some Spanish chorizo.
Next, sweat off some aromatics. Carrots, celery, onions would be ideal for true French flavors. Ginger, garlic, shallots would certainly speak Asian.
After your aromatics have roasted enough(you'll know – they should smell so fragrant), add in your main ingredients. Here's where you can make this recipe your own. Oh, the list would really be endless – Apples, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Daikon . . .go think of , E, F, G, all the way to Z. Use each on its own. Then, work in flavor pairings. And ultimately go for a symphony.
Roast them in the pan to bring out their natural sweetness. Don't bother if they start sticking all around. That's flavor developing as you continuously move them around. Just don't allow anything to burn though.
All those pan drippings would translate to better flavor. As the culinary rule goes, more color = more pan drippings = more flavor.
Next step, deglaze the pan with a flavored liquid. I'm working with fruity flavors so I might as well go with fruity white wine. Think out of the box. Deglaze with orange juice for a Carribean Cajun Soup or some Ale for a German Pork Knuckle Soup.
If you're using wine or liqueur, allow it to reduce a bit to cut down its acidity. How to know if they've reduced enough? Take a sniff off the steam rising up. It should not cause any stinge to your nose.
Then, if going for a thick cream soup, add a starch – flour in this case. A few points:
- Roast the flour according to how dark you want your soup to turn out. Light for this recipe, so minimal roasting is needed. You'll want it darker though for Creole Gumbos.
- Flour thickens as it cooks while starch thins out. So, use flour if added in the beginning, and starch if adding in the end.
- Flour needs to be cooked for about 15 minutes to get rid of that ‘floury' taste.
- Determine the amount of thickener you'll need by the starch composition of your main ingredient. Potatoes may need less than broccoli would.
Transfer everything to the crockpot, add a liter of stock and cook it on low for about 4 hours on low. Go with a stock that goes well with the flavors you already have. Vegetable of course for apples and squash. How much stock? One standard serving is 250ml. Adjust according to how many people you're serving.
When the main components have simmered tender, puree them. This puree will create a flavorful body for your soup. You may want to leave some chunks too. Just keep in mind that if you're leaving some chunks whole, then you'll have to adjust the amount of thickening agent to be used. Need a new slow cooker? I've been rockin' my Hamilton Beach lately.
Last, add in some cream. For this recipe, it'll work. Again – flavor pairing. Go for coconut cream if making a Thai-inspired Seafood Bisque or sour cream for something German-influenced.
Adjust for seasoning and you're done. Don't be limited by salt and pepper. Think of fish sauce, bonito flakes, anchovies, cheese, nutmeg, cinnamon.
Ingredients
- 250 Grams Squash diced
- 2 Pieces Apples diced
- 1 Pieces White Onion minced
- 1/2 Stick Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Flour
- 1/2 Cups White Wine
- 1 Liter Stock
- 1 Cup Heavy Cream
Instructions
- Sautee onions in butter.
- Add squash and apples. Roast.
- Deglaze with white wine. Reduce.
- Dust with flour.
- Whisk in stock.
- Transfer to slow cooker. Cook for 4 hours on low.
- Puree.
- Stir in cream.
Slow Cooker Hainanese Chicken
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