The flavors of fall abound this time of year and this Pumpkin Soup recipe from Executive Chef James Ormsby is another indulgent way to experience them. So cook up a pot and share it with friends and family. Or maybe just keep it all for yourself.

By Executive Chef James Ormsby, San Francisco, CA

This recipe will work with any hard squash.

Serves: 4 cups of soup – 4 portions

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups Pumpkin (peeled, diced and seeded)

1 1/2 cups Water

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

1/2 cup Onion (diced)

1/4 lb. Butter (unsalted)

1 Bayleaf

1 tspn. Fresh Thyme

1 tspn. Fresh Sage (chopped)

1 tspn. Sugar

1 tbls. Salt

2 tbls. Sherry Wine

Procedures:

1. Take the butter, place in a medium pot, stirring it with a whisk over high heat until it turns golden brown. Add in thyme, bayleaf, and sage, as it will fry the herbs and bring out the flavors. Add the onions, sugar and salt, and then the sherry wine.

2. Add a cup and a half of water, and then add in the pumpkin meat. (Use canned pumpkin if you need to, it’s the same ratio). Cover and bring to a boil. Simmer the soup for one hour. Make sure the pumpkin’s very tender.

Cover, so it doesn’t reduce too much -pumpkin has a lot of water in it.

3. Put it in a blender, and then pass through a fine sieve. Put back in pot, warm gently, add cream. Put in half a tsp of nutmeg, add 2 or 3 tbls. of salt to taste – add 2 tspn. Of fresh lime juice, divide into bowls, and garnish.

Garnish Ingredients:

Pumpkin Seed Oil (in a plastic squeeze bottle with a fine spout)

1 tbls. Chives (minced)

4 tbls. Creme Fraiche

1 tspn. Cinnamon

1 tspn. Nutmeg

1 tspn. Black Ppepper (freshly cracked)

1 tspn Dry Ginger

1 tspn. Allspice

2 tbls. Pumpkin Seeds (salted, toasted, shelled)

Procedures:

1. The garnish that goes on top of each bowl of soup, is 1 tbls. of the spiced creme fraiche. Combine the cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, ginger and allspice into the 4 tbls. of creme fraiche. Put one tbls. on top of each bowl of soup.

2. Sprinkle a few chopped chives on each bowl. Sprinkle a few of the toasted pumpkin seeds into each bowl. Squeeze a line of pumpkin seed oil on the top of the soup. You are now ready to serve.

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Find more delicious soup recipes in Food & Beverage World’s e-cookbook, Elegant Soups to Make At Home. Currently available from Amazon and iTunes.