Butternut-Squash Bisque
- Total Time
- 1 hour 10 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1medium-size butternut squash, peeled and chopped into ½-inch cubes
- ½cup thinly sliced fennel
- 1teaspoon thinly sliced ginger
- 2cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
- ¼cup all-purpose flour
- 4slices double-smoked bacon, or best available
- ¼cup dry vermouth
- 2tablespoons cognac
- ⅔cup tomato juice
- 6cups lobster stock, shrimp stock, clam stock or fish stock
- 1pod star anise
- 6pods green cardamom
- ½cup tarragon leaves
- 1tablespoon crème fraîche
- 1tablespoon kosher salt
- 2teaspoons lime juice
- ⅛tablespoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- ¼cup roasted pumpkinseeds
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
398 calories; 24 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 16 grams protein; 1417 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter until it foams. Add the squash, fennel, ginger and garlic and cook slowly until soft, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir, then cook for 5 or 6 minutes to incorporate.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a large pan set over medium-high heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove and drain over paper towels. Reserve.
- Step 3
Add the vermouth and cognac to deglaze the first pan, and reduce the liquids until the pan is almost dry. Add the tomato juice and reduce it by half, approximately 3 minutes. Add the stock, anise and cardamom and simmer until it has reduced by roughly half, about 30 minutes. When the bisque has reduced, remove from heat and stir in the tarragon. Cover and steep for 5 minutes. Whisk in the crème fraîche, then strain bisque through a fine-meshed sieve or chinois.
- Step 4
Season with salt, lime juice and cayenne. Serve immediately with a slice of crisp bacon over the top, and a sprinkle of pumpkinseeds.
Private Notes
Comments
Made it this evening and couldn't be more disappointed. It was quite good until I added the TABLESPOON of salt and 1/8 TABLESPOON cayenne, and it suddenly turned awful. I washed at least a quart of it down the drain and hope that the memory disappears by the weekend.
There are some critical missing steps in the instructions. Step 2 1/2: Obviously you have to remove the squash, etc., before you deglaze the pan. Step 3: I used white wine instead of vermouth; fresh, homemade tomato juice; clam juice. Step 3 1/2: I poured the bisque though a strainer over the solids, and then pureed with hand-held mixer. The squash was still too granular and needed additional cooking time. Step 4: I omitted the salt, but did add the lime juice, bacon and seeds.
I've been making this soup since the recipe first appeared in the Times Magazine. It was clear that a tablespoon of salt was way too much, so I just used a teaspoon and labelled the recipe a "keepah" in Boston talk. Also cut way down on the cayenne to 1/4 teaspoon. Maybe both were typos. I make quarts of lobster stock once a year. Definitely makes a difference.
Watery & tasteless. A waste of good ingredients. Had to do a lot of re-creating to make it interesting enough to present.
Very good! Did not add the salt and cayenne. Used a bit of Pernod and fennel seeds instead of fennel. Used Lobsters stock from “better the bouillon” Yum.
It was near impossible to reduce the tomato juice as it was immediately absorbed by the breading on the squash. I found the consistency of the soup to be much thinner than desired when only straining. 1/2 cup of tarragon leaves overpowered all of the other flavors of the soup. Next time, I'll remove the squash before deglazing, reduce the liquids in sequence, simmer the broth with the aromatics, steep a fraction of the tarragon, strain, combine with squash and immersion blend.
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