Spiced Pumpkin Soup with Smoked Gouda and Ham Grilled Cheese

By the lack of posts that I have produced for the month of December, it is evident that the Pasquarella-Sugermeyer camp has been ordering take-out and eating leftovers for the majority of this month. Perhaps this is due to Derek's focus on his dish for his MasterChef audition - Duck Confit Salad with Candied Kumquats, Pecans, Clementine Segments, Tangerine Vinaigrette and a Smoked Gouda Crisp. No, there will not be a post that provides insight into that dish. I had very little to do with the actual production of the finished product. Derek had to brine the duck for 24+ hours and then cook it it in tons of duck fat at a low temperature (190 degrees) for around 10+ hours...a lot of work. It was, however, incredible and receiving top scores from the MasterChef judges...good enough to move Derek through the casting rounds up until now when we wait for a phone call by mid-January to see if he will be in the top 100.

Now that we can take duck off of our mind for a while now that the tryouts are over, it is probably time to get back into the kitchen and make something. I'm still feeling slightly uninspired - preferring to bake Christmas cookies and desserts rather can come up with a savory meal - but I took the reigns and put together a fairly simple but still satisfying home-cooked meal using up the last bit of our fresh pumpkin puree that was leftover from Thanksgiving.

Spiced Pumpkin Soup
original recipe found HERE

1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped ripe banana
1/2 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 bay leaf
2.5 cups low-salt chicken broth
2 cups canned pure pumpkin
1/2 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk
1/8 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon sage leaves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add carrot and next 6 ingredients and sauté until vegetables are soft, about 13-15 minutes. Discard bay leaf. Transfer mixture to processor and blend until smooth. Return mixture to pot. Add broth and all remaining ingredients except cilantro. Simmer soup over medium-low heat 15 minutes to blend flavors. Cool slightly. Using a hand immersion blender or a regular blender (in batches), puree soup until smooth. Return soup to pot. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Bring soup to simmer. Ladle into bowls. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve.

We served the soup with Smoked Gouda and Ham Grilled Cheese Sandwiches - probably one of the best grilled cheeses I've made before. I'm a sucker for smoked cheeses, gouda in particular. And paired with the ham - it's fantastic. We just buttered two long slices of country sourdough bread, sliced from a round loaf, and placed a sprinkling of cheese and ham slices in between, "pan searing" the sandwiches over medium heat until they are browned on each side. It's just a grilled cheese - but it was really good.

Now onto the soup - I was a bit over the soup after I sliced my thumb chopping sage. That never feels good - and this case was no different. Having to then call Derek into the kitchen to help finish up the final steps of the soups - and because he helped a little bit, I couldn't make him do the dishes afterward so guess who got stuck doing those. In general, I loved the spice and flavors of the soup. It was sort of like a slightly spicy (thanks to our addition of cayenne) version of a melted pumpkin pie. I was a little weary about the mass of spices used - and adjusted portions according to my own intuition (the original recipe called for 1 teaspoon of nutmeg. I know how strong nutmeg and how hard it is to fix a recipe after there has been too much nutmeg added - so I went on the safer side and used just over a 1/4 teaspoon.

I liked the thought of using coconut milk in the soup - and was also intrigued by the thought of sweetened condensed milk. I almost omitted this ingredient as I did not feel like opening a whole can of it - but the soup was screaming for a touch of sweetness. My error was that I put in a full 1/4 cup of the sweetened condensed milk as the original recipe stated. I should have put into account that the original recipe also called for 5 cups of chicken broth and I used just half of that. Needless to say, the soup was slightly too sweet. It would have probably fit the bill for most tastebuds that prefer a little sweetness, but for soup - I'd recommend using a little less. For a savory item like soup - the sweetener should do the same thing that salt does - it should bring out the flavors in the soup rather than be a flavor in itself. Use a little less sweetened condensed milk and it will be incredible.

This really was a unique soup - comforting too in that you have pumpkin pie in a bowl - without the buttery crust and the guilt!