I’m sorry for grossing everyone out with my last post. My mother told me that my blog is getting dark and asked me if I could possibly do something other than meat at the 3-star Parisian restaurant I cook at. I tried to explain that it was a very prestigious position, but she thought salads or pastry would make better reading material. Well, I don’t know anything more soul warming than a bowl of pumpkin soup so hopefully this recipe will take away any of the left over heeby jeebies from the baby boar post.

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We serve this at the restaurant in the biggest pumpkin known to mankind. I’m sure the customers are totally surprised when they see it coming to the table. We add white truffle slices and oil to the soup (just a little bit – it’s strong!) and mix in an egg yolk right before serving to create the ultimate in luxury soup.

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The recipe below is just the basic, but feel free to experiment with the truffle oil if you can afford it. I was allowed to try a white truffle slice the other day and it was delicious. This truffle grows mostly in Italy typically several inches below ground near the roots of oak and hazelnut trees. It is the second most expensive food in the world running around $3000 per pound for the very best – I was of course told this before being allowed to swallow my ever so thin sliver of truffle.

P1030284.JPGWhat does it taste like? Hmmmm, kind of like soil with yeast and mushrooms with a bit of honey and something kind of gaseous. Sounds delish, eh? The peak season is now so eat up – oh, and don’t kill anyone over them, okay? They’re not that good….

By the way, this soup doesn’t have any cream in it. Typically in France when you see a soup that says crème it means that the vegetable has just been pureed. You can add some cream at the end if desired, but it’s not necessary. Click on “Continue reading Pumpkin Soup” for recipe

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Pumpkin Soup: Crème de Citrouille

serves 6-8

30g / 2 T salted butter
1 medium onion chopped
1 shallot chopped
1 potato peeled and chopped
950g / 6 cups cubed pumpkin (about 2 lbs.)
2 litres / 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground white pepper

Additions to experiment with:
1teaspoon white truffle oil
herbs to garnish with
1 egg yolk blended in with hand mixer at the end before serving

Instructions
1. Melt butter in a large saucepan and cook the onions and shallots until softened but not browned. About 3 min.
2. Add potato, pumpkin, and stock to pan. Season. Reduce heat to low and simmer for around 40 minutes. Test pumpkin and potato for doneness with a fork. They should split apart easily.
3. Transfer vegetables to a food processor and blend until smooth. Add some cooking liquid as needed to help purée. Return the purée to the pot and add more seasoning. Mix in some white truffle oil if you’re feeling adventurous and an egg yolk right before serving