Butternut Squash and Crab Bisque
Description
We enjoy soup and this bisque is absolutely delicious! This can be served as an appetizer, with a salad, or sometimes we enjoy it as our meal with some warm, homemade Sourdough Bread (and you can access that recipe easily by clicking on that recipe title).
At a Glance
Equipment
It is important to have either an immersion blender, or a stand blender to prepare this wonderful bisque.
Ingredients
2 small Butternut Squash, peeled and then cubed in about ½-inch pieces (about 9 cups of cubed squash)
1 ½ cups of Carrots, finely chopped
1 tablespoon of McCormick® Grill Mates® Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 tablespoons of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
3 tablespoons of Butter
3 cloves of Garlic, minced
⅓ cup of White Onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of fresh Thyme, finely chopped
2 Shallots, finely chopped (or about ⅓ cup)
2-3 stalks of Celery, finely chopped (about ⅔ cup)
3 cups of Chicken Broth
¼ cup of Sherry
2 cups of Heavy Whipping Cream
8 ounces of Lump Crab Meat, coarsely chopped
¼ teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Chives for garnish, finely chopped (optional) for about 1 teaspoon per bowl of soup
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large bowl, mix the cubed butternut squash, the carrots, and the olive oil. Place this mixture onto a baking sheet, and sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the McCormick® Montreal Steak Seasoning on top. Place this in the oven for one hour. The butternut squash should be very tender. After an hour, set the baking sheet aside. In a stockpot, melt the butter and add the garlic, the white onions, the shallots, and the celery; cook it over a medium heat, until these are translucent, or about 3-5 minutes. Then add the thyme, the butternut squash mixture, the chicken broth, and the sherry to the stockpot. Cover it and cook it for about 15-20 minutes over a medium heat. Remove it from the heat, and using an immersion blender, purée the mixture until it is smooth. (If you do not have an immersion blender, you may use a stand blender, but be very careful since the liquid is quite hot). Once the mixture is very smooth, add the cream, the cayenne pepper, the lump crab meat (but leave a small amount of the lump crab meat to the side to use it as a garnish on top of the soup -- about a teaspoon per bowl), and heat the bisque for a few minutes. Stir to mix it all together.
Add salt and black pepper to taste, sprinkle with the chopped chives, and add a bit of the fresh crab in the center of each bowl and serve the bisque immediately.
Wine Pairings
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