Sunshine in a Bowl / Un Rayon de Soleil

It’s hard to be a soup these days.

You are rarely at the family table. We see you when we are out of inspiration for dinner or when the kid has a cold. You have never been understood by the humans.
They call you names like dull, boring, you look funny; and you still come back, happy to warm up our heart and body on chilly nights.

You are mistreated. You are served too hot at home, too cold at the hospital when you are not supposed to be a gazpacho. You are thickened too much and not enough let to bloom peacefully on the stove. You spend days in the fridge alone; with only friends to talk too a pot of jam who doesn’t say much and a butter who plays it tough. They reheat you and burn you and drain you down the sink when they have enough of you.

You are mocked by children, hated by adults on diet and abused by toddlers who tickle you and give you the headache.

Still you come back in our kitchen, happy in our pots and waiving at us when we stir you gently. You know how to delight us when we treat you well and how to light up our days like sunshine in a bowl.

I really fell in love with this soup. I would never thought of a soup as something enjoyable to make and to get excited about, but this one is more than just a soup. It’s a medley of spices and places. You get the natural sweetness of the butternut squash and the apple cider mixed with the warmth of the cinnamon, the cardamom, the ginger and the all spice. And the color of the soup is just wonderful. The soup should be really velvety and silky to your tongue, so make sure to blend it well.

Like many things with warm spices, this soup improves with time. It’s delicious on the first day, but it’s magnificent on the second and out of this world on the third. At least if it stays that long.

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup

Recipe: Serves 8- 10 persons
- 1 butternut squash (3 lb)
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp cardamom
- 1 tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 2 cups apple cider
- ½ cinnamon stick
- 1 cup Half and half
- Salt, pepper
- Toasted almonds flakes

Preheat your oven to 425F. Peel, seed and cut your butternut squash in cubes. Place on a sheet tray and drizzle with some olive oil. Season it with salt and pepper and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.
In a heavy saucepan, reduce the apple cider on high heat, uncovered until you have 1 cup.
In a heavy large pot or a Dutch oven, sauté the onion in 1 tbsp of butter and ½ tsp vegetable oil until caramelized. Add ginger, cardamom, cinnamon, all spice and cayenne pepper. Cook for 1 minute or two until fragrant.
Add squash cubes, chicken or vegetable stock and the reduced apple cider and simmer for 25 minutes.
Discard the cinnamon stick and puree the soup using a stand blender until very smooth.
Add the half and half and cook until it thickens and reaches a velvety consistency.
Season with salt and pepper if needed and serve sprinkled with some toasted flaked almonds.

Soupe de Potiron Rôti

In francais please: 8-10 personnes
- 1 potiron (1.5 kg)
- 1 oignon, émincé
- 1 c.c de gingembre en poudre
- ½ c.c de cardamome
- 1 c.c de piment de la jamaique
- ¼ c.c de poivre de cayenne
- 750 ml de bouillon de volaille ou de légumes
- 500 ml de cidre de pommes
- ½ baton de cannelle
- 250 ml de moitié-moitié
- Sel, poivre
- Amandes effilées, légerement grillées

Préchauffer votre four à 218C. Laver votre potiron et éplucher la chair à l’aide d’un couteau économe. Enlever les graines et couper en petits cubes.
Mettre les cubes dans une tôle allant au four. Verser un filet d’huile d’olive sur les cubes de potiron et assaisonner de sel, poivre. Bien mélanger. Faites cuires jusqu’a ce qu’ils deviennent tendres, environ 20 min.
Dans une casserole à fond épais, faites réduire le cidre de pomme de moitié sur grand feu.
Dans une cocotte, faites sauter les oignons dans une c.s de beurre et ½ c.s d’huile jusqu’à ce qu’ils caramélisent. Ajouter, le gingembre, cardamome, poivre de cayenne, piment de jamaique et le baton de cannelle. Faites sauter une à deux minutes jusqu’a ce que cela devienne bien aromatisé. Ajouter les cubes de potiron aux oignons puis le bouillon de volaille, ou de legume, le cidre de pommes réduit et laisser mijoter pendant 25 minutes.
Jeter le baton de cannelle et mixer la soupe à l’aide d’un mixeur a purée avec lequel on mixe les purées de bébé (je ne me rapelle plus comment on l’appele) jusqu’à ce qu’elle devienne bien lisse.
Ajouter le moitié-moitié et laisser cuire sur feu doux jusqu’à ce que la soupe devienne onctueuse . Assaisonner de sel et de poivre si nécéssaire et servir saupoudré d’amandes effilées légerement grillées.

Bon Anniversaire Mon Ninou adoré.