Long ago, in the kitchen of one of Montreal’s finest restaurants, I was taught that a truly fantastic soup can be made from a mere handful of humble ingredients.
What made the soup exceedingly good was the quality and freshness of the ingredients, and the method used for cooking. Over the long, frigid Montreal winters, we cooked batch after batch of sous vide butternut squash, and pureed them with a splash of cream for a velvety soup with vivid color. Night after night, I filled bowls with the rich potage, and topped it with delicacies such as seared foie gras, sauteed wild black trumpet mushrooms, and a pomegranate juice reduction. Sublime.
Today’s recipe is inspired by those upscale bowls of soup: a simple combination of apple, squash and onion, seasoned with salt, and thinned with a little cream. Garnished with diced apples, it’s fall in a bowl; and yes, it was cooked sous vide.
Now, I’m a fan of simple soup from scratch, and will be the first to admit that a sharp knife and a sturdy pot are the only requirements for a good soup, be it rustic, roasted or rich. Alternately, I also have enough of a background in professional cooking to know that ingredients slowly cooked in a water oven (or sous vide) will yield a superior soup.
Ten years ago, when I was manning the stove in various restaurants, the culinary term ‘sous vide’ was virtually unknown to anyone outside of processionals. Now, thanks to crazy-popular TV shows such as Top Chef, Master Chef, and Iron Chef, sous vide is fast gaining on culinary terms such as ‘braising’ or ‘searing’. There are even cookbooks devoted to the subject such as Under Pressure: Cooking Sous Vide and Sous Vide: Help for the Busy Cook.
When the kind folks behind Sous Vide Supreme contacted me to try one of their counter top water ovens, I agreed, as I was eager to see this beautiful new home version for myself. It has been really fun to recreate some of the recipes for my family I had tucked away from my restaurant days.
Danny, armed with his copy of Cooking for Geeks, is pretty excited to get into sous vide cooking. Being our resident numbers guy, he of course loves the science behind the sous vide method and I’m more than happy to let him share the kitchen.
I can see the sous vide supreme working out very well for our family thanks to my background and Danny’s obsession with temperature. We’ll keep you posted.
What is ‘sous vide’? It means to cook food in vacuum-sealed pouches, submerged in a water bath held at a precisely controlled temperature. Sous vide means “under vacuum” in French, as you can see from the images above. The first photo is before cooking, the second is after. (There’s a helpful video on the Sous Vide Supreme website that explains the cooking method with a great visual.)
What makes a sous vide soup superior? When cooked slowly, in a water bath, vegetables and fruits retain their full color and flavor as well as undergo a remarkable transformation in texture. Once pureed, the flavors seem intensified, and the resulting texture is soft and velvety. With just one bite of this soup, Danny was smitten.
5-ingredient Butternut Squash & Apple Soup (sous vide)
Fresh fall ingredients, cooked together sous vide, make for a surprisingly sophisticated soup.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Soups & Stews
Prep Time: 10 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 2 hourshours
Total Time: 2 hourshours10 minutesminutes
Servings: 6people
Calories: 123kcal
Author: Aimee
Ingredients
1mediumbutternut squashpeeled and sliced
1largetart applesuch as Granny Smith, cored and sliced
1/2onionsliced, or 6 green onions, ends trimmed
1teaspoonsea salt
3/4cuplight cream
Instructions
Fill 2/3 full with water and preheat the sous vide unit to between 182 and 185 degrees F.
Place the sliced squash, apple and onion into a large, one-gallon food-grade pouch. Vacuum seal the bag to remove as much air as possible.
Submerge the pouch in the sous vide unit and cook for 2 hours until the squash and apples are quite soft. Check the pouches after 20 minutes to make sure they’re fully submerged. If they are floating, weigh them down with a mug or other heavy object.
When the squash is cooked, remove the pouch from the Supreme, and pour the contents into a blender. Puree until smooth.
Add sea salt and cream and puree again. Taste and add more salt if you like. Serve hot, garnished with diced apple if desired.
Melt butter in pot over medium heat. Cook onion, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 15 minutes. Add squash, thyme, 1 tablespoon salt, broth, and water; increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until squash is tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
How to cook Butternut squash. You can eat the skin, so there's no need to peel it. Simply halve it, scoop out the seeds and chop it into chunks, then roast it and add it to a warm winter salad or throw it into curries, stews or soups.
One cup is loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Magnesium, and Potassium! Butternut Squash is filled with antioxidants which include vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. It's shown that antioxidants can help to prevent and slow down inflammation which may lead to a reduced risk of several chronic diseases.
Drizzle each half with maple syrup and season with freshly grated nutmeg and ground black pepper. Roast the squash for 40-60 minutes or, until the flesh is tender when poked with a fork. You can serve each person a whole half each or you can scoop out the flesh into a serving bowl, whatever makes you and yours happy.
Why does my butternut squash soup taste bitter? Some butternut squash is more bitter than others, which may cause your soup to taste slightly bitter. If this is the case, try adding a bit more honey.
Put a tablespoon of either into a small bowl and stir in 2-3 tbsp of the soup until you have a smooth mixture. Stir this back into the soup and bring it to a simmer. Cook for a few minutes to allow the starch granules to burst to thicken, and to cook out any flour flavour.
Can You Eat Butternut Squash Skin? It's important to note that while many people choose to remove butternut squash skin (and this is best practice for soup making, where you want smooth results), you can 100% eat roasted butternut squash skin. Slice butternut squash into crescents and roast it with the skin on.
Butternut squash contains considerable amounts of fiber, which can help you keep a healthy weight and regulate bowel movements. It's known to help prevent colorectal cancer while the beta-carotene in butternut squash can also improve eye health.
Butternut squash is a healthful option, but its high potassium content may mean that some people should consume it in moderation. Beta-blockers are a type of medication commonly prescribed for people with heart disease. These can cause potassium levels to increase in the blood.
How does Gordon Ramsay cook butternut squash? He first tosses the butternut squash in oil, maple syrup, salt, and pepper and then cooks it in the oven at 400°F for about 25 minutes.
Butternut Squash: Butternut squash is a superb source of beta-carotene, vitamin C, and fiber, all of which can contribute to lower inflammation levels. Blend butternut squash into soups or roast it with a touch of cinnamon for a sweet and savory side dish.
Research shows that butternut squash can help reduce your risk of colorectal cancer, in particular. It can help your blood pressure. Butternut squash is high in potassium, which can help keep your blood pressure in check. Managing your blood pressure can reduce your risk for stroke and heart disease.
Winter squash: Winter squash, including butternut squash and acorn squash, is a starchy vegetable that is high in carbs. One cup of cooked butternut squash contains around 21 grams of carbs, while one cup of cooked acorn squash contains around 15 grams.
Butternut squash contains a sticky, sap-like substance that is released when the fruit (squash is technically a fruit) is cut. The liquid is so strong that it can harden into protective scab if the squash becomes cut or damaged—much like a tree.
Roast at 180°C for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden and soft. Or, next time you've got the oven on, use up the space to cook a whole squash – simply bake it just as it is until you can insert a knife in easily, then use it over the following days for throwing into salads or to turn into pancakes or fritters.
Butternut squash is high in potassium, which can help keep your blood pressure in check. Managing your blood pressure can reduce your risk for stroke and heart disease. Its fiber helps with blood sugar. Butternut squash contains a type of fiber that's not digestible.
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and Sous Vide: Help for the Busy Cook
.
, is pretty excited to get into sous vide cooking. Being our resident numbers guy, he of course loves the science behind the sous vide method and I’m more than happy to let him share the kitchen.
