Friday, November 28, 2014

Béatrix's Red Kuri Soup (ode to)





























Per Nana~
No red kuri squash to be found so I substituted butternut squash instead. 
This is definitely a winner, one of the best soups I've made. I've tasted
 butternut squash soup before but did not care for the flavor, however, 
I think the addition of the leeks really made this a truly scrumptious creamed soup. 
I prepared half the recipe, which was more than enough for us. 
After pureeing the soup in the food processor I thought it was 
too thick so I took Dorie's advice and added milk. 
For a garnish I prepared some garlic toasts and topped the 
soup with some goat cheese. We both agree that this will definitely be a 
repeat, it was so creamy and smooth- simply delicious. 
Per Tricia~
Like Nana, I also took inspiration from Dorie's Bonne Idée and went 
with the butternut squash. In lieu of the chestnuts, however, which Dorie 
explained when combined with the butternut squash resembles the 
flavor of the red kuru- I went with toasted pine nuts. 
The aroma in my kitchen was out of this world. We love a good 
creamy soup and this rich version hit the spot.  And made a ton !  
We tried it with toasted pine nuts sprinkled on top and then sent a 
version with a French baguette slice and Emmental cheese under the broiler. 
As expected, that was the way to go.  Yum.
 Since we have lots of left overs I plan to tweak spices and seasonings as we try
new each bowl. It is a perfect accompaniment for the delicious Thanksgiving 
leftovers. This will be a repeat for sure but I am also keeping my eye out of 
the elusive red kuri squash and can't wait to try its unusual flavor. 
A quick comment about Béatrix, though not the one Dorie named the 
soup after :) My older son turns 21 at midnight on this very French Friday. 
He was born in 1993, which happened to be the 100th anniversary of 
 Beatrix Potter's "The Tale of Peter Rabbit". His nursery was dubbed the 
"shrine to Beatrix Potter" and I could not believe the serendipity of MY 
selected theme having a monumental year just as MY first born needed
 a nursery. Well played indeed. And now the kismet of cooking a
 "Beatrix recipe"on his special day. The stars are aligned indeed. 

Neither boy ever did much care for the stories - but they did like this soup :)

Happy French Friday ~

11 comments:

  1. Great post, ladies! I love the ways you each chose to serve the soup. And Tricia, love your Beatrix story. :)

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  2. Well done! I think Bill might have eaten more had I topped it with a cheesy crouton :)
    P.S. Tricia, happy birthday to your oldest! My youngest turned 21 in April...a big milestone for our boys! xo

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  3. I think I would have liked your butternut squash soups more than what I did my squash + chestnuts soup. I might have gone overboard with those chestnuts!

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  4. Nana and Tricia: both your butternut squash soups look absolutely delicious, velvety and wonderfully presented! Love the addition of pine nuts and cheese croutons - there are so many ways to "dress up" this soup, making it versatile and certainly a recipe to back to very soon. I was lucky as red kuri squash is one of the most commonly found varieties of squash in our parts!
    Wishing both of you a great weekend - hope you had one wonderful Thanksgiving!
    And Tricia, Happy Birthday to your son - what a fun story indeed!
    All the best,
    Andrea

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  5. I am a huge fan of Beatrix Potter, I have to say :) You both did so well this week - and I will definitely be making this again with butternut!

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  6. Both of your soups look great and I'm glad to know the butternut squash worked out so well! Lovely garnishes that I'll have to try. Tricia, what a lovely story--isn't it funny how synchronicity occurs when we least expect it?

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  7. I really think butternut is a better tasting squash and I love your garnishes.

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  8. I loved Beatrix Potter stories. Maybe it's a girl thing? Glad to hear this works well with a more available kind of squash. I love your variations. I hope you both had a great Thanksgiving!

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  9. Nice post ladies! I loved this soup too. We enjoyed it as our starter to our Thanksgiving Dinner. I made so much, I'll be eating it for weeks.
    Ah, another Beatrix Potter fan! I love it!!!

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  10. Lovely job, ladies.
    Tricia - how do you keep that while Dutch oven so WHITE! I can't even keep my darker ones looking so good :-) You must spill your secret...

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  11. Well, I like the story. I'm all about fate and serendipity and Can You Believe This Happen? I also enjoyed the picture of your son enjoying his birthday and his "official" first drink with his family. It is a milestone, isn't it. Where did the time go? Emma (age 13), my blonde wonder with the purple locks on the ends of her gorgeous blonde hair, kept reminding us all during Thanksgiving that in 4 years she will be going to college! Although both of your soups look delicious (and, there's nothing wrong with plain ole squash soup), keep a look-out for a Red Kuri. It's fun to watch the rind dissolve and the taste is amazing. Tricia, love, love, love those two flower pots.

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