Butternut Squash Soup

[nadeest]

http://www.cheftalk.com/wiki/squash-autumns-ambassadors

Please pardon my ignorance ( I am a first semester student), but what is the normal portion size for soups?   Also, for the Butternut Squash Soup recipe on the link above, how many servings does that recipe make?  Would I be able to substitute Acorn Squash successfully for the Butternut Squash?

 

[kyheirloomer]

I wouldn't substitute an acorn squash in that recipe. But any of the deep-orange winter squashes---even pumpkin---would make a good substitute.

 

[chefross]

Nadeest, welcome to Cheftalk.

For an order of soup in most places the cup is 6 ounces or a bowl 10 ounces.

Your recipe is descent enough. Personally I don't care for sweet or cinnamon in my soups. I  usually make the soup savory using chicken stock instead of water and also adding onion and carrot to round out the flavor profile.

Since I grow many different kinds of squash each year, I am always trying new recipes. I find that roasting the acorn squash then scraping the meat from the rind gives a toasty flavor to the soup which I like.

Turban, butternut, even pumpkin have a great flavor once roasted.

 

[chefedb]

A lot of places use pumpkin. You need a lot of squash to bring up the flavor of soup. I order soup out a lot and notice that on the squash and carrot type soups, the flavor of the chicken stock is dominant over what the soup is supposed to be. This is why you will see carrot and ginger soup, and squash and whatever mixed in. I make a peanut butter and pumpkin and the people seem to order it a lot.

 

[kyheirloomer]

That sounds interesting, Ed. What are the rough measurements of peanut butter to squash?

If I were going to use stock instead of water it would be veggie stock in this case. But water is actually the right choice because you want the squash flavor to predominate.

I can see why Chefross would sub acorn. It doesn't have the depth of flavor that the deep orange squashes have. So, if you're trying to minimize the squash flavor, as she apparently is,  it could be a good choice.

 

[chefedb]

KYH .Saute small dice celery, onion, carrots, garlic, .Peel pumpkin, dice up the inside meat save the outside. add the cut pumpkin to the saute mix add stock, herbs bay leaf etc Put in the big pieces of rind and peel (you will pull them out latter) simmer then add peanut butter. Approx 1 pound jar to 1 large pumpkin, 2 gal. stock 1/2 veg  1/2 chick..Later pull out rind and peels dispose of. Then puree the soup. Top with dollup of cream fraiche and chopped chives. Serve inside a hollowed out squash or small pumpkin.

PS if you want you could enrich soup by adding some heavy cream. I would if served right away but if I had to hold in steam table I would not.

 

[tastytart]

Serving size depends on how it's being served, but at a lot of resturants, you can buy a cup of soup for half the price of a bowl. It seems that would make a serving 2 cups. Not totaly sure on that logic.

 

[chefedb]

A lot of places use a shallow bowl ,therefore the 6 ounce cup and bowl hold same amount . They charge more for bowl because it looks bigger. Good Gimmick.

 

[kyheirloomer]

KYH .Saute small dice celery, onion, carrots, garlic, .Peel pumpkin.......

Sounds good, Ed. Thanks for posting it.

I'll likely try it the next Flat Tan pumpkin we crack. Won't be until near on the end of the month, though, cuz I'm waiting for the seeds to develop fully.

 

[tastytart]

o, wow. I hadn't paid that much attation to it. 

 

[chefedb]

KY   I  Forgot something // I also used the shelled dried seed ( toasted ) sprinkled on top, the second time we served it.

 

[chefross]

Interesting about the soup cup sizes.

When I purchased for the banquet house the average cup in a restaurant is 6 ounces but the bowl was 10 ounces.

We got some that were 8 ounces for French Onion soup but they were more of a crock type.

 

[kyheirloomer]

It seems that would make a serving 2 cups.

Not quite, Tasty.

As ChefRoss points out, a "cup" of soup is typically six ounces (not the 8 of a cup cup). So twice that would be 12 ounces, or a cup and a half.

But a bowl of soup is most often only 8-10 ounces.

I find it interesting, too, that you frequent places where pricing is on a two to one basis. Generally speaking, that's not the case. Typically, a bowl of soup  only costs 1/3 or less more than a cup. F'rinstance, if a cup (6 oz) is $3.25, a bowl might be something like $4.50. But watch this magic:

1 cup (6 oz) at $3.25=0.54/ounce.

1 bowl (10 oz) at $4.50=0.45/ounce

Do you think it's an accident that they'd rather sell you a cup than a bowl?

 

[tastytart]

Intresting. I didn't say anything about "frequenting" anything. Just that I'd seen it done.