This year's Halloween was a bust. We spent Saturday night in the hospital, leaving our costumes at home and forefitting the party that we had planned on attending. All was OK - thankfully - but the excitement that usually coincides with Halloween was non-existent. That's why on the actual date of Halloween, Sunday, I wanted to do something at least remotely Halloween-ish. That's how pumpkin soup came to mind.
I must say, though, when we started to make the soup, I quickly realized that the recipe seemed a bit off. It called for 7 cups of water or broth to 1.5 cups of pumpkin. That, in my opinion, would only make a version of pumpkin broth...not soup. Therefore, I had to take the recipe into my own hands to come up with a wonderful final product.
Pumpkin Soup with Cinnamon Sour Cream and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds with Warm Spinach, Pear and Bacon Salad
a tweaked Bobby Flay recipe
Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 red onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 stocks celery, coarsely chopped
5 cups vegetable stock
2 cans pumpkin puree (15 oz cans)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons honey
4 teaspoons chipotle puree
1/2 cup sour cream, divided
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Garnish: 1/2 cup toasted pumpkin seeds (roasted with salt and EVOO - 375 for 12 minutes)
Heat the butter in a medium stockpot over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery and cook until soft. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Strain the stock into a clean medium saucepan and whisk in the pumpkin puree until smooth. Bring to a simmer and add the 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, spices, honey and chipotle. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in 1/4 cup of the sour cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix together the remaining sour cream and remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon until combined. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with the cinnamon sour cream and a handful of pumpkin seeds.
I'm so glad that I have a sense of basic cooking - enough to realize that the original recipe was completely flawed. If I had simply followed that, the soup would not have been nearly as good as it was. I added more chipotle than it called for...and obviously more pumpkin. I think that the broth making process was unnecessay since I used vegetable broth to essentially make vegetable broth. I think the first step is in there if you begin with water only. Still, the broth was tasty.
I don't think I would add the sour cream to the soup next time. It didn't seem necessary and it actually didn't mix in with the soup when it was added (and yes, it was added off of the flame). We had to use a hand mixer to try to blend out the tiny white specks.
The flavor was really nice though, it was a little spicy, a little sweet - and perfectly comforting for a nice, calm, Halloween night.
Warm Spinach, Pear and Bacon Salad:
3 slices bacon, medium dice
1 small shallot, minced
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
10 ounces fresh spinach leaves
1 Bosc pear, halved, cored and thinly sliced
Saute bacon in skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Pour all but 1 teaspoon of the drippings out. Add shallots and cook until soft. Add vinegar, mustard and thyme; whisk to blend. Add oil and whisk to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside in a separate bowl. In the same pan, add the spinach, pears, and bacon. Saute over low heat for about a minute. Add back enough dressing to coat.
The original recipe for this called for pouring the hot dressing over the salad - we chose to just add the salad to the pan and then toss with the dressing. The reason for this? We had recently had a warm spinach salad with feta that was so delicious, we wanted to make sure the spinach wilted slightly. We also substituted bacon for pancetta as the original recipe has called for - I think both options would work just fine.
The salad was a big success - we both agreed. The serving sizes that I provided were good for serving two people...and I could have had even more - it was that tasty. The dressing really made it.
And for the accompanying beverage. We were recommended this beer while we were at Whole Foods. The fact that this was aged in a bourbon barrel really sounded interesting - and at the high price point of around $16, we suspected it was probably good - especially after the rave review that the store employee gave it.
Allagash Curieux
Here's what the brewery had to say about it:
In October of 2004, we released the first beer in our series of Barrel Aged beers, Allagash Curieux. To make the Curieux (French for "curious"), we age our Tripel Ale in Jim Beam barrels for 8 weeks in our cellar. During the aging process in bourbon barrels, the beer is totally transformed, and many new flavors and aromas develop. Most notably, the beer picks up soft coconut and vanilla characteristics...and also a hint of bourbon flavor!
This was a PERFECT pairing with the slightly smokey (from chipotle/adobo) pumpkin soup. It was really unique and a must-try for any bourbon lover. I, myself, am NOT a bourbon lover, however, I found the beer to be very nicely balanced and a surprisingly good food beer - or even good enough to stand alone. At $16 a bottle it probably will not become a regular in my refrigerator but when the mood strikes, I'd be very open to buying it again!
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