Thomas Keller's butternut squash soup
The butternut squash soup from three-Michelin-star chef Thomas Keller, with brown butter, nutmeg crème fraîche and crispy sage.
- Prep30 min
- Cook2 hr
- DifficultyMedium
- Budget€€
This soup is inspired by chef Thomas Keller’s recipe published in his book Bouchon (Artisan, 2004). What makes it so good: the squash is cooked two ways, roasted in the oven for a caramelized flavor and simmered in cubes for sweetness, and the brown butter added at the end gives it an incredible aroma. It takes longer than a classic soup, but it’s a real special-occasion dish.
I converted the US measurements to metric (grams and liters) and rewrote the steps in my own way. The original recipe, in English, is available on Food52.
Who is Thomas Keller?
Thomas Keller is an American chef, born on 14 October 1955 at Camp Pendleton, California. He is considered one of the greatest chefs in the world.
- The French Laundry: in 1994, he bought and reopened this restaurant in Yountville, in the Napa Valley, California. It has become one of the most famous restaurants in the United States.
- Per Se: his New York restaurant, opened in 2004.
- Three Michelin stars for each of the two restaurants: he is the first and only US-born chef to hold multiple three-star restaurants.
- More casual places: the French-style Bouchon bistros, the Bouchon Bakery bakeries and Ad Hoc, serving family-style food in Yountville.
- Awards: he is a Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur and has received the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Chef and Outstanding Restaurateur awards. He also led the US team to its first gold medal at the Bocuse d’Or, the great world cooking competition.
A fun detail: he was a consultant on the animated film Ratatouille (Pixar, 2007). He’s the one who came up with the refined version of ratatouille that Remy cooks at the end of the film.
Ingredients
Makes 6 people
For the soup
For the bouquet garni
To serve
Method
- Preheat the oven to 175 °C. Separate the neck of the butternut (the solid part) from the bulb (the round part with the seeds).
- Cut the bulb in half, scoop out the seeds, brush the flesh with oil, season with salt and pepper and tuck a sprig of sage into each hollow. Roast cut side down on the baking tray for about 1 hour, until the flesh is very soft.
- Meanwhile, peel the neck and cut it into cubes of just over 1 cm. Tie the thyme, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns inside the leek leaves to make the bouquet garni.
- In a large casserole dish, sweat the leek, carrot, shallot and onion in the remaining oil for about 6 minutes over medium-high heat.
- Add the squash cubes, the garlic, 1½ tsp salt and ½ tsp pepper. Lower the heat and cook for 3 minutes without browning, then add the honey and stir for another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour in the stock, add the bouquet garni, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cubes are tender.
- Scoop the flesh out of the roasted squash with a spoon (discard the sage) and add it to the pot. Let it simmer gently for 30 minutes.
- Remove the bouquet garni, blend in small batches, then pass through a fine sieve for a perfectly smooth soup. Adjust the seasoning.
- In a well-chilled bowl, whisk the crème fraîche with the nutmeg until it holds its shape. Keep it in the fridge.
- Fry the sage leaves for 30 to 45 seconds in a little very hot oil, drain them on paper towels and salt lightly.
- Reheat the soup (thin it with a little stock if it's too thick). Melt the butter over high heat in a small pan until it turns nut-brown, then pour it straight into the soup.
- Serve in warm bowls with a spoonful of crème fraîche, a grind of pepper, the sage leaves and a few drops of olive oil.
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