Butternut & Acorn Squash Soup
Cinnamon Curry Butter
A Word From Chef Brian
Our BBQ White Prawns recipe epitomizes the joy of summer grilling. We use high-quality prawns and a specially blended mix of Old Bay and Tajin seasonings to achieve that perfect balance of flavors. Grilling over a natural wood fire adds a unique smoky complexity to the prawns, which makes this dish a crowd-pleaser. It's simple to prepare, yet it delivers a flavor profile that will leave you craving for more. Pair it with our Element 79 Estate “Abby” Rosé of Zinfandel to elevate your dining experience.
Wine Note from Estate Chef Brian Overhauser
This bold soup requires a wine that gives purity and focus to all the exotic flavors in the bowl. Our 2020 Olivia’s Cuvee is just that wine for the job. Because of its inherent acidity and glossy tannins from the Cabernet & Syrah blend, it creates harmony with the cinnamon, curry butter and the holiday spice flavors of the squash.
Serve this wonderful pairing this holiday season and enjoy the astonishing pleasure of your dining companions as they experience this unforgettable paring.
Serves 4
1 butternut squash
1 acorn squash
6 cups rich chicken stock
1/2 cup cream (if desired)*
1/2 stick unsalted butter (room temp)
1 tablespoon Madras curry powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
*Note
This soup already has a natural creaminess, but if you want to raise the bar, heavy cream will round it out and add an elegant mouth feel to the finished soup.
Method
Cut both squash in half and place them face down on a parchment lined sheet pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until soft and tender.
While it is still warm, take a spoon and scrape the seeds out of each half then scoop all the squash out and into a med size pan.
Add 5 cups of the hot chicken stock and use a hand-held blender to blend everything together until smooth.
Add salt and pepper to taste and the cream if desired.
Blend one more time and adjust the thickness with more stock if needed.
Take your room temp butter and using a food processor place the butter into the work bowl and add the curry and process until fully incorporated.
Take the curry butter and move it out of the work bowl and into a zip lock bag.
Now cut the corner of the zip lock and squeeze the curry butter into a squirt bottle for easy distribution on top of the soup at service time.
To Serve
Use 4 hot soup bowls and ladle equal parts between your soup bowls. Now take the curry butter and squeeze it into the center of the hot soup so it will start to melt by the time you serve.