Romantic Dinner For Two Butternut Squash And Bourbon Bisque Recipes

ROASTED BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND SWEET POTATO BISQUE WITH SMOKED APPLEWOOD BACON

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Combine squash, sweet potatoes, olive oil, salt, and pepper together in a bowl; toss to coat. Pour out onto a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven, flipping the vegetables once, until slightly caramelized and tender, about 60 minutes.
• Place bacon in a large skillet and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until slightly crisp, 7 to 10 minutes. Reserve 1 tablespoon bacon drippings. Drain the bacon slices on paper towels; crumble bacon.
• Heat bacon drippings and butter together in Dutch oven over medium heat. Saute onion and butter in hot butter mixture until onion is translucent, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Pour the white wine into the pan and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Cook until white wine is reduced by half, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Stir roasted squash mixture into onion mixture; add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until all vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
• Pour vegetable mixture into a blender no more than half full. Cover and hold lid down; pulse a few times before leaving on to blend. Puree in batches until smooth. Return pureed soup to Dutch oven.
• Stir half-and-half into pureed soup; cook and stir over medium-low heat until soup is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Stir nutmeg into soup; season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle into bowls and top each with crumbled bacon.

GINGER BUTTERNUT SQUASH BISQUE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°. Cut squash lengthwise in half; remove and discard seeds. Place squash in a greased shallow roasting pan, cut side down. Roast 40-45 minutes or until squash is tender. Cool slightly., In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add carrots and onion; cook and stir until tender. Add garlic, ginger and curry powder; cook and stir 1 minute longer. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10-12 minutes or until carrots are tender. , Scoop flesh from squash; discard skins. Add squash, coconut milk, salt and pepper to carrot mixture; bring just to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Process in batches in a blender until smooth., Return to pan; heat through. Top servings with rice, coconut, peanuts and cilantro.

CRAWFISH BISQUE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot set over high heat. Crush the crawfish shells and add to the pot, cook for 15 minutes while stirring frequently.
• Add the flour to the pan and stir, then add the garlic, onions, lemongrass, celery, fennel and ginger. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes.
• Add the rice, tomato paste, red pepper flakes, bay leaf and thyme. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the brandy and cook for several minutes while stirring. Add the stock and the cream, and stir. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Simmer for 25 minutes and then remove from the heat.
• Puree in a blender and strain through fine mesh strainer. Fold the crawfish tails into the bisque and add the lime zest, some salt and pepper and hot sauce. Serve hot.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND BOURBON BISQUE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
• With a sharp knife, prick the squash in several places to allow steam to escape while it cooks
• (otherwise it could burst). Place the squash in a baking dish lined with foil and roast for about 90 minutes, until the squash is soft when you push on it. Let cool for 30 minutes, so it=s easier to handle, then peel, seed, and remove strings. Cut the roasted squash into 1/2-inch pieces, or scoop meat out with a spoon.
• In a heavy soup kettle, heat the olive oil and add the onions. Cook until light golden brown and add the leeks and cumin. Cook for 2 minutes and add the garlic and ginger. When the garlic is fragrant, add the maple syrup, soy sauce, bourbon, sherry and nutmeg. Add the squash and stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cook gently for 15 minutes.
• Using an immersion blender (or a regular blender), puree the soup until very smooth. Add the evaporated milk, salt, and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes; do not bring to a boil. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened, about 5 minutes. Serve in soup plates.
• If you like, garnish this soup with garlic and Parmesan cheese croutons and a dollop of non fat sour cream.

DUNGENESS CRAB BISQUE

Steps:

• Remove the claws from the crabs and quarter the bodies. Heat a 6-quart stockpot. Add the oil and saute the crab pieces until they are red. Remove the pieces as they are cooked. Add the carrot, celery, tomatoes, garlic, shallots, and tarragon and continue to saute for 10 minutes. Pour in the cognac and ignite. When the flame has subsided, deglaze with white wine, and add the tomato paste, crab, and enough fish stock to cover. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne, thyme, and bay leaf and boil gently for 15 minutes.
• In a small saucepan, reduce the cream by half. Remove the crab bodies from the pot and set aside. Add the reduced cream to the soup. Puree the soup, in batches, in a food processor. Strain the pureed soup and keep warm.
• Remove the meat from the claws and cut into bite-size pieces and add to the soup. Season with lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve in heated soup bowls and garnish with minced chives or parsley.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH BISQUE WITH VERMONT MAPLE SYRUP

Steps:

• Boil squash in lightly salted water until tender. Drain well, then puree together with butter, cream, syrup, cinnamon and nutmeg. Adjust seasoning. Heat through and serve.

BUTTERNUT-SQUASH BISQUE

Steps:

• In a large saucepan set over medium heat, melt the butter until it foams. Add the squash, fennel, ginger and garlic and cook slowly until soft, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and stir, then cook for 5 or 6 minutes to incorporate.
• Meanwhile, in a large pan set over medium-high heat, fry the bacon until crisp. Remove and drain over paper towels. Reserve.
• Add the vermouth and cognac to deglaze the first pan, and reduce the liquids until the pan is almost dry. Add the tomato juice and reduce it by half, approximately 3 minutes. Add the stock, anise and cardamom and simmer until it has reduced by roughly half, about 30 minutes. When the bisque has reduced, remove from heat and stir in the tarragon. Cover and steep for 5 minutes. Whisk in the crème fraîche, then strain bisque through a fine-meshed sieve or chinois.
• Season with salt, lime juice and cayenne. Serve immediately with a slice of crisp bacon over the top, and a sprinkle of pumpkinseeds.