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Cream of Butternut Soup with toated pumpkin seeds on top served with crusty bread

Cream of Butternut Soup

Dawn
A delicate, yet filling soup finished with a hint of nutmeg and fresh tarragon.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
ROASTING THE BUTTERNUT OR PUMPKIN 1 hour
Course Appetizer, Lunch, Soup, Starter
Cuisine American, Australian, British, Continental
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Electronic digital scales
  • Collander
  • Medium/Large Saucepan
  • Small, heavy bottomed fry pan
  • Blender or Hand Blender

Ingredients
  

  • 500 ml [17 ½ ounces] Good quality vegetable stock
  • 300 grams [10 ½ ounces] Roast Pumpkin
  • 1 Large Garlic clove, peeled 9 grams
  • 1 Knob Ginger root, peeled 8-10 grams [2 cm / 1 inch] add more or less depending on your taste
  • 1 small/medium white or yellow onion, peeled and quartered 75 grams
  • ¼ teaspoon Salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon White pepper to taste
  • ⅛ teaspoon Ground nutmeg to taste
  • 1 teaspoon fresh, minced tarragon extra for garnish
  • 60 ml [¼ cup, scant] Single cream
  • 40 grams [3 tablespoons] Toasted Pumpkin/Squash Seeds

Instructions
 

Roasting the butternut or pumpkin

  • Cut the pumpkin or butternut in half and remove the seeds and the stringy bits. Wash the seeds to roast if you like. If you are using a pumpkin, cut into quarters; if using Buttrnut, cut in half horizontally. Brush the top and the cavity with olive oil and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
    Pop into a preheated oven 205C [400F] and roast for an hour or more until the flesh is soft but not mushy.
    Remove to a cooling rack until cool enough to handle. When ready, use a sharp slim knife to cut off the peel, leaving just the roasted flesh.

For the soup

  • Place the chopped onion, garlic and ginger root, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a medium saucepan, add stock to just cover the veg and simmer for 20 minutes on medium/medium low heat or until soft.
  • Meanwhile, toast the seeds in a medium, dry heavy bottom frying pan over medium high heat, shaking the pan frequently until they are going golden brown and starting to make popping sounds- about 4-6 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  • Place the roast butternut or pumpkin either in the blender or a deep mixing bowl (if you are using the hand blender) and add the onion liquid and blend until smooth.
    At this point, the mixture should be quite thick; you want it to be slightly thicker than how you would normally serve soup. Add more of the stock if required, but still keeping it thick as you are finishing with single cream
    Decant back into a clean saucepan over medium heat and add the tarragon and cream and stir through- check and adjust the seasoning.
  • Serve in bowls and top with the roasted seeds and a sprig of fresh tarragon

Notes

This soup can be made with any firm fleshed squash or pumpkin.  On this occasion, I used butternut, but I have used Turks Turban or blue pumpkins- 
This soup freezes well.  If you are freezing leftovers, you may need to add some more fresh herbs and single cream when you go to serve again.  If you are preparing this in advance, prepare to the point where you are asked to put in the fresh hebs and single cream and finish these last steps when you are actually going to serve the soup.
Replace the cream with a vegan product and this is a vegan soup.