you butternut, or i'm telling mom!

One thing that I had a lot of growing up was soups. My mom would make a lot of sinigang, arroz caldo, kare kare, and sopas. A big bowl of my mom's soup always spelled comfort food to me and always made me feel better and good, even on frustrating or busy days.

Funnily enough, now that I have my own household, I rarely make any soup. It's probably because my husband isn't a very big soup eater . . . he'd rather have a big honking meal that would make him full instead of a light supper of soup and buttered bread. To each their own, I guess.

I didn't start getting into soups again until I started working for Boudin Bakery. With clam chowder, chili, and a rotating special soup of the day, it wasn't hard to revive my love of soup. Throw in a bread bowl, and soup reached new heights of wonderment!

Speaking of soup, I was still employed at Boudin's when they rolled out an updated menu. Chief among them was all new pizzas and some new soups including a butternut squash bisque. The first time I had the bisque, I was blown away. I was the type of person who loved sweet things. So, when I had a taste of something that was both sweet and slightly savory all at the same time, I was hooked. It was my favorite soup from Boudin's.

Years later, I still come back to Boudin from time to time. And I still order that soup. However, Georgia has no Boudin Bakery. They do have Panera Bread, tho. But I've tried their autumn squash soup and it just isn't the same . . . too savory and not enough sweet.

So I decided to make my own.

Surprisingly, not many people have copycat recipes for Boudin's bisque. There's a crap ton of Panera recipes out there on the web tho. Luckily enough, I did find one recipe that took inspiration from Boudin and a similar one that had different spices. I decided to combine the two to make my bisque.

What I ended up with was something special. While not exactly like the bisque from Boudin's, it has similar flavor notes and passes as an acceptable alternative. I've topped it with some tart dried cranberries (no added sugar!), toasted pecans (instead of walnuts in Boudin's and heck, I'm in Georgia after all!), and fresh and bright flat-leaf parsley. I love this soup! It's like eating autumn in a bowl!

Now . . . if only I had a bread bowl . . .

---- o o o o ---- 

Butternut Squash Bisque
(adapted from My PB+J and A Sweet Pea Chef)

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/2 acorn squash, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp salted butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 large sweet apples, chopped
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock or broth
nutmeg, to taste
cinnamon to taste
1/2 cup low-fat half and half
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
dried cranberries, for garnish
toasted chopped pecans, for garnish
chopped flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

 
In a large pot, cook butternut and acorn squash in butter over medium heat, stirring, for 20 minutes. Add onion, celery, and apple then saute for 10 minutes. Add chicken stock or broth. Season with salt and pepper then simmer for 30 minutes until vegetables are tender.

 

Remove from heat and puree using blender or immersion blender. Return to heat then sir in half and half and brown sugar. Season to taste with nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Add additional stock, if necessary. Simmer an additional 10 minutes then remove from heat.

To serve, ladle into bowl and garnish with cranberries, pecans, and parsley. Serve with crusty bread and butter on the side.