Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque

Squash, Apples, Cinnamon. . . 

It Almost Feels like Fall around here!

The morning started out warm, consistent with spring but then this afternoon it got chilly. Soup seems like a good thing, especially when my daughter has been asking repeatedly for "squash soup" and I found butternut squashes at the grocery store today.

I find the cubing of the butternut squash that is called for in most recipes a bit daunting. There's the hard outer layer of the squash and then trying to cut through that depth, as it rolls around on the cutting board is just not fun. Over the years I have experimented with different knives, everything from a sharp serrated edge to a cleaver, with little success and always a fear that I'm going to get one of my own fingers. To simplify - and really, I think this makes it super simple even thought it's an extra step - I opt to roast the butternut squash before I put it in the soup.

How to Roast a Butternut Squash

Here are the basic steps:

I start with a butternut squash and place it on the cutting board, using my chef knife to put through the skin and make a run for the other side, working my way around to split the squash into two lengthwise halves. After that I scoop out the seeds and think about how this is so much easier than pumpkins at Halloween. I then cut off the stem as well as the bottom end on each half, pierce the flesh (inner and outer) with a fork, and then drizzle olive oil on all of the surfaces, as well as sprinkling some salt on the inner side. I place the squash on a foil lined cookie sheet and roast for about 40 - 50 minutes on 400 degrees.  Now because this is for soup, I went all the way to 50 minutes. If you want to use this more as firm cubes, you know to eat or something, decrease the time. But for soup, this makes is super easy to get it ready and speeds up the cooking process once we put it in the recipe as well.

I then let it cool for a couple of hours before moving on to getting it ready for the soup. You want to peel away the skin and cube or spoon the flesh out. Honestly I started cubing and then just began scraping the flesh away from the skin and spooning into a bowl.

Once I was ready to make the actual soup, I chopped up a white onion (the sharper taste compliments the sweetness of some of the other ingredients) and crushed 4 cloves of garlic, placing it in my heavy soup pot with equal parts butter and olive oil. I let this cook for a little while on medium heat, making sure to soften this first base to our soup but being careful not to burn it. While this was cooking, I peeled an apple (I used a Gala today) and cubed it.



Once the onion and garlic was softened, I added the apple along with cinnamon, maple syrup, salt, and peppers, cooking the whole lot until the apples were soft. I used Grade B pure maple syrup. It's cheaper than Grade A but for recipes involving cooking or baking, it's recommended as it's got a darker more maple flavor, packing more of a punch if you want to add some taste to your dish.

Once the apples and other ingredients were cooked for a bit, and the apples were softened, I added the squash along with a pinch of sage and also some Herbs De Province. I really like the mixture of herbs in the Herbs De Province, and put about a 1/2 teaspoon into the mixture. I didn't have to cook this part too long as the squash was nice and soft from roasting so after a quick toss, I added a carton of chicken broth and let this mixture simmer for about a half hour.


The whole house smelled wonderful. After a good bit of simmering, I used my immersion blender to change this chunky concoction to a smooth velvet bisque. I ended up switching my soup to a taller pot as the other one was too shallow and it was making a mess. The soup was very thick and dense so once I blended it, I added about 1/2 cup of half and half and let it simmer for about five more minutes before plating. I also added a bit more cayenne and some more salt after tasting.

I added a dollop of creme fraiche directly to each bow. Mmmmm it's true what they say, soup is good food!

Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Bisque Recipe

Ingredients:

1.5 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1.5 Tablespoons Butter
1 medium White Onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 medium size apple, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup maple syrup (preferably Grade B)
2 teaspoons sea salt,
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 butternut squash, roasted and peeled
Pinch of sage
1/2 teaspoon Herbs De Province
32 ounces of Chicken Broth
1/2 cup of Half and Half
Creme Fraiche for garnish

Directions:

• Roast butternut squash beforehand and let cool.
  
• Heat butter and oil in a large pot and add chopped onions and garlic, cook until softened careful not to burn or brown them.
• Add chopped apple, maple syrup, salt and peppers and cook until soft.
• Add butternut squash, sage and Herbs De Province and cook until flavors are intermingled.
• Add chicken broth and let simmer for about a half hour.
• Use immersion blender to turn soup into a bisque. Add half and half to thin. Taste and adjust spices as necessary.
• Ladle into bowls with creme fraiche for garnish

Walkabout Soup - Cream of Onion Bisque

Outback Steakhouse "Copycat" Recipe with a little twist

One of my favorite things at Outback Steakhouse has been the tried and true "Walkabout Soup". When they first debuted in Michigan (and it's more years than I care to admit but I think I was still single so it's been quite a while), they featured a cream of onion soup daily. Over the years the Walkabout Soup has become more of a "soup of the day" and unless you are paying close attention to the weekly schedule it's luck of the draw and you can't anticipate what you will be getting.

Walkabout Creamy Onion Bisque

I did some scouring and with some help from friends I was able to find copycat recipes for Walkabout Soup online. The best one I found I pinned and saved the recipe. You can find the original recipe here and thank you Molly53 for creating this!

Over time, making this repeatedly I have tweaked it to cater to my family and have made some revisions. The most important one is that we add an extra step and make this soup into a creamy bisque rather than leaving those onions whole. I also probably made it more fattening but for creamy soup you shouldn't try to make it "light".


Here's my version:

Walkabout Creamy Onion Bisque

Ingredients:

4 sweet onions, sliced
4 Tablespoons butter
1 carton of chicken broth
2 Tablespoons of soup base (I used beef this time and it added a new dimension)
1/4 cup of Velveeta cheese, cut into small pieces to make it melt quicker
White Sauce (see below)
Shredded cheddar cheese and croutons for garnish

White Sauce:

6 Tablespoons butter
6 Tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
1 1/2 cups of half and half

Directions:

Slice onions and place in a large pot (8 quart or so) with the butter and slowly cook. I use yellow sweet onions or Vidalia but I'm sure you could use white onions, for a sharper flavor, if you wanted. I don't concern myself on cutting them evenly, or slicing thinly because we will pulverize the onions later into the bisque with our secret weapon. We want to soften the onions without burning them so go slow. Low heat is good.

Once the onions are softened and clear in color, I add a box of chicken broth (the carton) and some soup base. I think that the chicken broth with the beef soup base really was a good combination and made the soup a bit heartier. The recipe originally called for some salt and pepper at this time but I find that this soup base has a ton of flavor and additional seasonings aren't really necessary. However, if you are familiar with the original Walkabout Soup you will recall it's pretty peppery so if you are wanting to stay true, by all means add a load of pepper. I have persnickety kids so I don't do that. I can hear them now. . . "oh this is too spicy" or "wow this has a lot of pepper in it". I can see them running to the sink dramatically, practically swooning as they fill a glass with water and gulp it down in one fell swoop.

While the soup is heating up with the liquids, you can start the white sauce.  We start with a roux, combining butter and flour in equal parts. This is the basis to the sauce and it's very important to get them evenly combined with low heat. I use a wooden spoon. I think it is helpful and doesn't impart any extra flavors to this base.

You continue to stir until you have a nice smooth glossy mixture. You will see the color change slightly, more of a deeper yellow and the more you heat it you will see that it will start to pull away from the sides of the pan. You will also begin to smell this heavenly scent that goes from buttery goodness to a more nutty aroma. Keep stirring and then slowly add the cream mixture and then the salt.

The key with the liquids is to add in little bits and stir it in completely. If you go too quick you will end up with awful clumps. Honestly in this soup it won't matter as much because we will blend it into a bisque but you might as well master the roux thing. It's important to so many foods. Stir between additions of the liquid and then keep stirring on a low heat. You will feel the liquid begin to thicken as the flour does its magic.

Once you add this mixture to the soup we have going it's time to also add the Velveeta cheese. Now I know some of you are thinking that Velveeta cheese is the Devil. I am leery of it too but for melting, it just works. You don't want to put chunks of cheese in this concoction that just settle at the bottom. We want this smooth. Add the cheese and stir the soup to make sure it's all combined. I then put the lid on and leave it at low for about a 1/2 hour to really get those flavors merged.

Now if you choose, you can be totally done right now with this soup. It would be okay except that I wasn't real careful about my slicing and the onions will be haphazardly sliced and it will be chaos. You may not have the same issues as me. . .  But if you want to join the Bisque Bandwagon, you will need this extra step. . .

Please meet the Immersion Blender! Now I have done the old fashioned thing, taking my soup and putting it in batches in the regular blender or using the food processor. I don't mean to sound like an infomercial but that is messy and the liquid splatters and the gaskets don't hold it because of the steam and there is soup on my ceiling. . . Sigh, just buy an immersion blender. Stop the madness!

When you use the immersion blender you will make quick work of those onions and your soup will be velvet. Now I find that the blender does kick up some froth as you can see here but it will settle down. I leave the soup on low covered for a little longer. I suppose you could eat it frothy but that seems like a creamy onion milkshake and I'm just not interested.


Garnish the soup with shredded cheese and croutons, or bits of bacon. I do like a slice of brown bread with honey butter. That's pretty good too and it's more like Outback. I think I need Outback's bread recipe next.

Best Laid Plans. . . Weekly Dinner Planning Already Askew!

So there was a plan. Five meals scheduled, list created, and then grocery shopping. But you know how plans go right?

First my husband requested that I make some copycat Outback Steakhouse Walkabout Soup. Somehow things fall off the radar - we make something and enjoy it a couple of times and then we forget about it. Paul is good about remembering. We are actually thinking about making a master list of dinners/meals we like and putting it in Excel so everyone can "check off" items. I know, I'm a nerd!

The plan for tonight was to have Chicken Sate with Peanut Dipping Sauce. It was one of the dishes that fell off the radar and has been on hiatus for a few months.  It's really delicious, and not that difficult, but it's a little time consuming so we typically make it on the weekend when there's more time, or I make the marinade and sauce ahead of time for a weekday meal.

Hi Ho Hi Ho, off to the grocery store we go. . . (yes, you can sing it to the 7 Dwarfs' tune, I am). Trader Joe's and then Hollywood Market. I get all our dairy at TJ's and some other items but sometimes you have to go to the larger stores. I had the lime in the cart, checked the list against the recipe and so on. . . Except the grocery store did not have any thin sliced boneless chicken breasts! None, not one pack. Maybe it's because today's a Sunday that just feels like Monday?

So now the plan for tonight is the Walkabout Soup. I based mine on the recipe above but have changed it up a bit. A little creamier and I double the recipe, making it into more of a bisque. We are going to have it with pumpernickel bread with sweet whipped butter (think maple and honey with a touch of cinnamon). Here are the customized recipes below:

Debra's Version of Outback Steakhouse Walkabout Soup

Bisque Style!

Debra's Walkabout - Bisque Style with Pumpernickel Bread and Whipped Sweet Butter

 Ingredients:

Better Than Bouillon

• 3 Large Yellow Sweet Onions, sliced
• 4 Tablespoons Butter
• 1 32 oz carton of chicken broth
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Salt (Himalayan Pink Crystal today)
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Fresh Pepper
• 3 Tablespoons of Chicken Base (I use Better Than Bouillon - you can alternately use 6 Bouillon Cubes)
• 6 ounces of Velveeta cheese, cubed
• Half and Half
• White Sauce (see below)
• Shredded Cheddar Cheese

White Sauce:

• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 6 Tablespoons Flour
• 1/4 Teaspoon of Salt
• 3 Cups of Half and Half

Directions:

1. In a large soup pot place butter and melt, add onions and keep on very low heat. Be patient (it's not in my nature either but you don't want to burn those onions) and let them cook slowly. You want them to be clear and soft. 
2. Add broth, bouillon, salt and pepper and give it a quick stir. Let this heat up.
3. Add White Sauce and Velveeta. Depending on when you made the sauce, it may be really thick and that's okay. Stir well on medium low heat until well mixed and cubes are dissolved. 
4. Turn the temperature to low and let the ingredients meld for about 45 minutes or so.
5. Okay here's my special part. . . Let cool slightly and use an immersion blender. Yes, I know Walkabout Soup at Outback has lots of onions in it. We like it better as a bisque. If you really feel the need to have some onions to add to the visual imagery, just take a few out of the pot before you blend and use as garnish. If you must. . . 
6. You may or may not need to thin the soup a bit. I stick to more half and half. This isn't a low calorie dish regardless and it's just too thin with the 1% milk I keep in the house.
7. Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and those onions if you decided to keep some in reserve.
8. Serve with the pumpernickel bread and sweet whipped butter.

I caution you to use a very large pot, much bigger than you anticipate, especially if you plan on using an immersion blender. I find that the blender makes the soup foam for a bit and expand in size.

White Sauce:

1. Melt butter in a 2 qt saucepan and add flour, whisking the mixture until it is heated through and becomes a thick paste, pulling from sides of the pan. FYI you just made a roux!
2. Put half and half in slowly while you whisk. Stir frequently. I don't say "constantly" because I'm usually cooking something else at the same time to multi task and I have been known to step away for a minute or too. Just be conscious of what's going on and don't stray too long.
3. Mixture will thicken. Take off stove and have ready for the soup (direction #3 above).

Debra's Sweet Whipped Butter

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened
• 1 Tablespoon of Raw Honey
• 1 Tablespoon of Pure Maple Syrup 
• 1/8 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Whip butter in Food Processor until smooth
2. Add honey and maple syrup and whip again. You may need to use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides to make sure it's well blended.
3. Add Cinnamon and give it one more "processing"

The butter will keep in the fridge for a few days. It will harden back up and have the consistency of regular butter once it's chilled. So for our meal, I made it about an hour before and left it in a Pyrex container. Leftovers will go in the fridge.