Bouchon's Butternut Squash Soup w/ Sage, Brown Butter & Nutmeg Crème Fraîche

Thomas Keller is most famous for his restaurants The French Laundry and Per Se, however, he also has smaller establishments modeled after typical French bistros to serve "simpler yet sumptuous fare." This elevated butternut squash soup recipe is adapted from his cookbook named after one of his bistros, Bouchon, and unlike some of Keller's more complicated cookbooks, you can dive right into this recipe. 

Get double points for warming up your kitchen while baking the squash. Simmer homemade vegetable broth on the stove top while the squash bakes. Set up your mis en place (cut vegetables), and the soup comes together in about 3 hours. It's light yet creamy with layers of flavor, topped off at the last minute with a swirl of brown butter in the soup pot and a dash of nutmeg in the crème fraîche topping. Bon Appétit!

My Paleo Marin Rating: 4.6 Persimmons*

Image from Amazon link here

How to Make the Butternut Squash Soup:

Ingredients in the Butternut Squash Soup:

For the Butternut Squash:

1 butternut squash, about 3 1/2 - 4 pounds; cut off the neck of the squash and set aside; then slice the body of the squash in half; clear the cavity but save the seeds

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 sprigs of Sage

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

For the Vegetable Broth:

4 - 6 cups of homemade vegetable stock, ingredients below:

    1 onion, skin on, sliced in half

    2 - 3 carrots, sliced horizontally in large chunks

    3 - 4 celery stalks, sliced horizontally in large chunks

    8 sprigs fresh thyme

    1 - 2 bay leaves

    1 small bunch fresh curly parsley

    12 whole black peppercorns

    Water to rise 2" above vegetables when placed in a Dutch oven

For the Soup:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup thinly sliced leeks, white part (save the green parts for bouquet garni below*)

1/2 cup thinly-sliced peeled carrots

1/2 cup thinly-sliced peeled shallots

1/2 cup thinly-sliced peeled onion

About 4 cups of 1/2" squash pieces cut from the squash neck that was set aside; trim off the outer skin of the squash with a chef's or paring knife before dicing it up

2 - 6 peeled garlic cloves, smashed (personal preference)

2 tablespoons honey

*Bouquet Garni (bundle of herbs) made of 2 sprigs of thyme, 2 sprigs of Italian parsley, 2 bay leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, all wrapped up in 3 green leek leaves to form a packet secured by tying the ends of the leaves together

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

For the Brown Butter:

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

For the Toppings:

1/4 cup crème fraîche

Freshly ground nutmeg (about 1/4 teaspoon)

Squash seeds, cleaned, towel dried and roasted on a baking sheet at 325º F for 10 minutes or so, salted

I tablespoon cut chives

Extra-virgin olive oil (optional)

Directions for Making the Butternut Squash Soup:

Preheat the oven to 325º F. Line a baking pan with foil.

For the Butternut Squash:

1. Place the squash halves, cut side up, in the baking pan. Rub with olive oil and add salt, pepper and then a sage sprig. Turn face down and bake for about 1 hour, or until easily pierced with a fork. Remove from the oven and let cool a bit. Scoop out the fleshy part of the squash and set aside in a bowl or covered container if making the soup later.

For the Vegetable Broth:

1. In a large soup pot, add the prepared ingredients and water. Over medium high heat, bring everything to a point just when bubbles appear around the edges and steam rises from the top. Turn down heat and simmer gently for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Stir occassionally. 

2. When cool enough to handle, strain into another pot. Put in quart-sized containers and freeze what you don't need right away. Keeps for about a week in the fridge and 3 months in the freezer.

For the Soup:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the leeks, carrots, shallots and onions. Cook, stirring often, for about 6 minutes. Add the diced squash, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook gently for 3 minutes. 

2. Reduce the heat, stir in the honey and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the vegetable stock and the bouquet garni. Bring it all to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes or until the cut squash is tender.

3. Add the roasted squash, stir and simmer gently for about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and take out the bouquet garni. Strain the soup with a slotted spoon if necessary. When the soup is cool enough to handle, ladle it in batches into a blender and purèe. If desired, strain the soup through a fine sieve into a bowl. Taste the soup and adjust for seasonings. 

For the Brown Butter:

1. Heat a small skillet to medium high heat until it is hot. Add the butter and swirl it around the pan until the color turns light brown and it starts to smell nutty. Pour it into the soup pot, being careful to stand back as it may splatter. Stir.

For the Toppings:

1. Whisk together the creme fraiche and the grated nutmeg in a chilled bowl until it holds its shape. 

To Serve the Soup:

1. Ladle the soup into individual soup bowls. Add a dollop of the creme fraiche, chives and roasted seeds on top. Add freshly ground black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil, if desired.

Recipe adapted from the New York Times recipe here.

#paleo #soup #butternut #squash #thomaskeller #bouchon #glutenfree #comfortfood

*My Paleo Marin Rating between 1-5 Persimmons

I try out these recipes so you don't have to (and modify them for Paleo where possible). The rating will reflect my opinion of the final result in terms of taste, ease of preparation, nutrition, and sometimes, cost.