Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Asparagus Mousse
This soup is rich, silky smooth, with an intriguing added dimension, ever so very slightly warm with a hint of licorice, from the curry powder and fennel pollen that simmered along with the squash.
Ingredients
- Soup ·
- Butternut Squash, diced into ½” cubes · 1
- Shallots, roughly chopped · 2
- Garlic Cloves, peeled and crushed · 3
- Vegetable Stock · 3 cups
- Butter · 1 tablespoon
- Herbie’s Medium Curry Powder · 2 tablespoons
- Salt to taste ·
- bunch of Asparagus, sliced into thin pieces (M) · 1
- Mousse ingredients = (M) ·
- Heavy Cream (M) · 10 ounces
- Milk (M) · 7 ounces
- Garlic Cloves, peeled and crushed (M) · 2
- Butter (M) · 1 tablespoon
- Handful of Spinach, just for color (M) · 1
- Gelatin (M) · 1/2 ounce
- Salt to taste (M) ·
Instructions
- To prepare the Mousse, in a heavy based pan heat 1 tablespoon of butter on medium high.
- Add the sliced asparagus and cook for about 5 minutes until it is tender then remove from the pan and reserve.
- Heat the heavy cream, milk, and garlic in the same pan.
- Bring to a boil *(be careful when heating the milk and cream because if you are not watching it closely it will boil over)*.
- Reduce it until the amount of liquid has reduced by half. Then add the cooked asparagus back to the pan with Herbie’s Fennel Pollen.
- Continue to boil for about 1minute then remove from the heat.
- Add all the contents of the pan including the raw spinach to your blender and puree until smooth.
- Season with salt to taste.
- Pour the puree through a fine mesh strainer into a medium pot and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat, then whisk in the gelatin. Allow it to cool a bit before putting it in the refrigerator.
- Let it cool in the refrigerator for 30min. The texture should be creamy, slightly firm.
- Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan heat 1 tablespoon of butter on medium high until it begins to melt. Add the cubed butternut squash, shallots, and garlic cloves. Turn heat up to high and cook for 1 minute.
- Then add 1 cup of vegetable stock and reserve the other 2 cups of stock for later.
- Add the Herbie’s Medium Curry Powder and bring up to a boil, then simmer on medium heat for about 15minutes.
- Cook until the squash is tender enough that it can be easily pureed.
- Take the pan off the heat and allow cooling briefly. While it is still warm add all contents to your blender or do it in batches.
- Add the remainder of the Vegetable stock and adjust until it is processed to the consistency you like. Season with lots of salt and return to a medium pot to re-heat in preparation for serving.
- Serve with a dollop of asparagus mousse on top and enjoy with a glass or two of Amourette Chardonnay
Jenny's Tip: - Want a more airy and light mousse? Just take one egg white and whisk it in a small bowl until soft peaks are formed. Fold it into the mousse before you put It into your refrigerator and cool for 30 minutes.
With a couple of Herbies great spices we ended up with a belly warming and palate tingling bowl of goodness. With its ease of preparation you can whip it up whenever your friends and family need some warming on a cold winter evening. A great starter with Amourette Chardonnay - beautiful!
NOTE: (M) = Mousse ingredient
Gertie Gewurztraminer
Gertie is a limited production single-varietal Gewürztraminer wine from a single Russian River Valley vineyard.
Curry Powder Medium Madras
Herbie's Spices Medium Curry Powder is a classic Madras-style of Indian Curry with a mid-range heat level of 5/10. This curry is suitable for all recipes that simply state to “add x amount of curry powder”.
Fennel Pollen
When you add a dash to any dish, you transform the ordinary into extraordinary.