Roasted Acorn Squash Soup

Acorn Squash.
Photo from Wikimedia Commons.

In November I cooked for a great number of people; one group lucky enough to eat my food (if I may, somewhat egotistically, describe the experience thus,) was the Indian Village Women's Garden Club. Indian Village is an area of Detroit containing some of the oldest standing houses in the area, most of them what could be described as mansions—especially in the Victorian era, when many of them were built—and most of those still complete with butlers' pantries, kitchens wholly closed-off from the rest of the house, secret passages, back staircases, servants' quarters, and so on: the whole package of Victorian Opulence.

I was asked to prepare a meal for the ladies, and speak about the historical cooking techniques, theories, and styles that I have documented here. I took the chance to refine the speech I would ultimately give at Teslacon, as well as to debut the curry recipe I intended to cook at the con. I also wanted to take the opportunity to write some new recipes and try some new techniques for preparing them, which is represented in this recipe.

This recipe takes the concept of roasting the squash with aromatic garlic and shallots from a Guy Fieri recipe. I really like the idea, I think it adds some more depth of flavor to the soup, which is something that I like. 

Acorn Squash Soup
3 acorn squash
3 shallots
6 garlic cloves
kosher salt
black pepper
olive oil

4 Tablespoons (60 ml) butter
3 shallots, minced
2 teaspoons (10 ml) dry sage
1 Tablespoon (15 ml) dark brown sugar
1 quart (947 ml) chicken stock
1 cup (237 ml) heavy cream
parmesan cheese
kosher salt
black pepper

1. Cut the acorn squash in half, and scoop out seeds. Place on a sheet pan and drizzle with olive oil. Place a half shallot and clove of garlic in each half of squash; salt and pepper lightly. Roast at 350°F for roughly an hour, until the squash begins to collapse and is soft and caramelizing.

2. Allow squash to cool, and scoop out flesh, shallots, and garlic. Set aside. Discard the skins.

3. Melt the butter, and sauté the shallots until they begin to caramelize. Add the sage and brown sugar, mix well, and cook 1-2 minutes. Deglaze with the chicken stock, and mix well.

4. Add the roasted squash flesh, shallots, and garlic cloves. Cook 5-10 minutes, then purée with an immersion blender or food mill. Simmer another 5-10 minutes.

5. Add the heavy cream, and grated parmesan to taste. Adjust seasonings as needed; garnish with fresh cracked black pepper.