fall in love with fall

Fall is a magical time of year. The weather changes in such a romantic way that all I want to do is go for long walks in my fleece embracing the crisp breeze and later cozy up with a blanket and a good book at night. As traditionally a creature of summer, complete with fresh berry picking and lazy days on the lake lounging with coronas, fall this year has presented a fun challenge for me. Since I have always favored summer berries, tomatoes and whatever bounty has risen from the garden, this year I have been trying to get to know all the wonderful things coming into the farmers market this time of year: all sorts of root vegetables, squashes, pumpkins etc. This has led me to literally been falling in love with the autumn harvest. Today, being that pumpkin might just be my new single favorite vegetable, I am going to share with you this fabulously delicious and easy recipe for pumpkin soup.
A few words about cooking with pumpkins, make sure to buy the “sugar pie” variety. Any farmers market will be selling these ones, but just don’t expect to go to the store and use the same ones that we carve crazy faces and designs into. It won’t taste very good. It would be like the time I was trying to make mojitos and accidentally picked grass that looked like mint. The resulting mojito ended up resembling something close to an alcoholic wheat grass drink. Lesson learned!

Pumpkin Soup with Sage & Gruyere Croutons

1. Melt 2.T of unsalted butter in a heavy-duty pan over medium heat (I used a dutch oven).
2. Add 1 medium chopped onion, and stir around, cooking until tender. About 6-8 minutes.
3. Add 6 cups of diced, peeled and seeded pumpkin (no need to roast), 4 cloves of minced garlic and cook for another minute or so.

4. Add 1. cup of a dry white wine (I used a Reisling), but don’t open something new unless you need to, and if you need to, pour yourself a glass while you are at it! Also add 8-12 minced sage leaves.
5. Once the wine has evaporated, add a about 3 cups of broth. I prefer a homemade vegetable or chicken broth, but the easiest thing is probably one of the cartons.
6. Cover and keep soup at a simmer for about 25 min, or until the pumpkin is tender.
7. Once done, add ½ c. (more or less) of some shredded Gruyere cheese.
8. Using a hand blender (ideal) or blender, puree the soup (doing this in batches if using a blender; also, don’t completely fill the blender because with a warm soup, you could end up in a world of hurt).
9. Return soup to a simmer, and depending on your taste, add more broth if you like your soup thinner. Add any salt and cracked pepper to taste (I added a lot).
10. Turn on your broiler and position a few slices of bread (depending on how many you are serving) on a baking sheet, turning every 1-2 min to toast, then adding some of the leftover shredded Gruyere cheese and a few leaves of minced sage. Season with a little salt and pepper and broil until cheese is bubbly.
11. Serve in bowls with a slice of the crouton.

Bon Appetit!

Total Prep/Cooking Time: 35-40 min
Total Cost: roughly $10-$15
This recipe is an adaptation of one feautured in fine cooking No. 107.


Stay tuned for whatever else my love affair with fall leads me to!