Recipes to Rival: Squash Soup with Creme Fraiche

My first Recipes to Rival challenge and I am late! I made this soup weeks ago for the Bronx Potluck, but was unable to post on December 1. Well, here it is. This soup was excellent if only a little time consuming. There are many steps, but they are all well worth it. Although the soup was good the day I made it, I thought it tasted too strongly of the mirepoix - you could really taste the leeks and onions. A few days later, however, the flavors really mellowed to present a delicious, subtle, creamy soup. A week later it only improved further. It kept well in the fridge and I'm sure it would freeze well also.

Squash Soup with Vanilla Creme Fraiche

Please see the original inspiration at the Top Chef Website.

Prep Time: one hour and 30 minutes (A little longer...)
Serves: more than 8 (way more than 8 - I brought this to two potlucks!)
Spike & Andrew's recipe:

Mirepoix:
3 sliced leek bottoms (rinsed)
4 carrots (peeled and sliced)
10 shallots (peeled and sliced)
1 clove garlic
1/2 lb butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup miso stir*
Salt and pepper

Squash:
5 acorn
5 butternut (or any combo - I used 9 acorn)
Oil for rubbing
Salt and pepper

Vegetable Stock:
4 quarts water
2 white onions
4 carrots, peeled
2 leeks
6-8 button mushrooms
Bouquet garnish (parsley, bay leaves, peppercorns)

Vanilla Creme Fraiche:
Creme fraiche
2 vanilla beans

Additional Ingredients:
Salt to taste
Cayenne to taste

DIRECTIONS:
Vegetable Stock:
In a pot, boil all ingredients together with the exception of the bouquet garnishes. (NOTE: allow to simmer for at least 1 hour)

Mirepoix:
Sweat all of the vegetables with butter. This entire dish can be made vegan by cooking the vegetables in oil rather than butter. I even left the mirepoix out of the vegan portion I set aside and it was still very good. Sweat down and deglaze with honey. Stir and add miso. *Miso stir is simply miso paste mixed with a little stock. This allows the miso paste to easily mix in with the vegetables rather than clump up. Season with salt and pepper.


Squash:
Cut squash in half, scoop out seeds and reserve one butternut head for garnish. Rub squash with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place one piece of sage under every piece of squash. Place squash face down on a sheet tray and roast at 350 degrees until done. Scoop flesh out and pass through a ricer. I did not pass through a ricer. I added the soft flesh to the soup and mixed it all with an immersion blender, which was fine.


Soup:
Combine squash and vegetable stock to desired consistency. Add mirepoix and cook. Blend with a vita prep and strain through a chinois. I did not do this. Instead, I blended in the pot with an immersion blender. It saves time and your hands from scalding. Season with salt and cayenne.



Vanilla Creme Fraiche:
Whip creme fraiche and scrape vanilla beans and fold in. I also added a few teaspoons additional vanilla extract.

To Plate:
Add 6 ounces of soup in bowl and spoon in creme fraiche.

Orecchiette with Squash and Mushrooms

Tonight I made a tasty fall meal: orecchiette with squash and musrooms.

Ingredients
1 lb box orecchiette or other pasta
1 acorn squash, skinned and cut into small pieces
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
1 cup milk or cream
oil and butter
rosemary and thyme
grated parmesan cheese
truffle oil (optional)

Directions
Place a pot of water on to boil for pasta.

Heat oil and a little garlic butter in a large skillet. Saute the squash for about 6 minutes, until soft and lightly browned. Add mushrooms and more butter, if needed. Add some fresh rosemary and thyme. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Add about a cup of milk or cream (I used whole milk). Grate about 1/4 cup Parmesan into sauce. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for a few minutes while pasta finishes cooking.

Drain pasta, reserving 2 cups of pasta water. Add pasta to vegetables and toss. Add reserved water if it is too dry. Serve in a bowl. Top with fresh grated parmesan, fresh ground pepper, and garnish with roesmary and thyme.