Receta A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving: Pumpkin soup with dried blueberry "dust"
Pulse freeze-dried blueberries in a food processor to make the blueberry "dust" that decorates this smooth, creamy pumpkin soup (photo: Karen Ard)
My mother told me the other day that she likes my recipes because they're always so simple.
I told her it's because I'm a lazy cook.
And it's true. I hate separating eggs. I rarely sift. I will never use two pots if one will do.
Part of the reason I write simple recipes is because I am often making large numbers of dishes for large numbers of people. That's exactly why this pumpkin soup led off A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving, the blueberry-themed Thanksgiving dinner I made for a couple dozen food bloggers a few weeks ago.
Nothing could be easier: Cook onions in olive oil, add canned pumpkin puree and chicken stock, a few seasonings, a little milk, and you're done. It's a great way to start a festive meal like Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, especially when served in small glasses as a walking-around appetizer.
Because A Very Blueberry Thanksgiving was sponsored by the U.S. Blueberry Council, each of the 10 dishes I served included fresh, frozen, or dried blueberries. See the purple "dust" on the pumpkin soup shooters in the photo above? Take freeze-dried blueberries and blitz them briefly in a food processor. The tartness of the blueberries combines beautifully with the fragrant pumpkin soup. And it looks gorgeous too, don't you think?
Note: Freeze-dried blueberries are hard and crunchy; don't use the dried blueberries that are chewy and have the consistency of raisins. The ones you're looking for shatter when you bite into them.
Pumpkin soup shooters with dried blueberry "dust"
by Erika Kerekes November-22-2013
There's no better way to start a festive holiday meal like Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner than with this smooth, creamy soup. Freeze-dried blueberries take a spin in the food processor to make the blueberry "dust" that decorates the top of the soup.
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 1 29-ounce can pure pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1/4 cup freeze-dried blueberries
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.Add the onion and saute about 4 minutes, until the onion is translucent.Add the pumpkin puree, chicken stock, and nutmeg. Stir the pumpkin mixture and bring to a boil.Turn down the heat and simmer the soup about 30 minutes, until the onions are very soft.Puree the soup in the pot with a hand-held immersion blender, or transfer the soup to a countertop blender and puree until very smooth.Add the lemon juice and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Stir in the milk.Put the freeze-dried blueberries into a food processor. Pulse in 2-second intervals until the blueberries look powdery.Ladle the hot soup into small juice glasses or demitasse cups. Sprinkle each serving with a large pinch of the ground dried blueberries. Serve immediately.
Details
Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 35 mins Yield: 10 servings