I prepared this fresh and festive soup for #MyWildThanksgiving, the Thanksgiving dinner I organized in collaboration with Wild Turkey last week. I wanted to create something a little “wilder” than my traditional pumpkin and pear soup, so I spiced this up with fresh ginger and a tangy coconut cream, and loved the results. You can take a look at the full dinner menu below.
It was an enchanting evening, I was pleased with all the recipes and enjoyed the cocktails paired with all the dishes. Take a look at my Facebook album for more pictures from the party.
Pumpkin and ginger soup with coconut cream
- 1 large pie pumpkin or butternut squash, (about 4.5 – 5 lbs whole)
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 4 medium carrots, peeled and diced
- 1 apple, peeled and chopped
- vegetable or chicken broth
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely diced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoons (or more) fresh ginger, grated or ground in a spice blender
- 1 can (400 g) of coconut milk, divided
- 1 1/2 cups (100 g) coconut flakes, lightly toasted in the oven (optional, for decoration)
- 1/3 cup (80 g) creme fraîche
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
- fresh chives,diced, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Cut the pumpkin in half and remove the seeds. Place the two halves on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, cut-side up. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with aluminum foil and roast in hot oven for 60-70 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Let cool, then scoop out the pulp with a spoon and set aside.
Meanwhile, sautee the onion with the carrot in a large soup pot with a tablespoon of olive oil. Add the ground cumin and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, then add the apple pieces. Add a couple ladle-fuls of broth and the diced garlic and simmer for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender. Add more broth as needed, but only enough to barely cover the vegetables. When the vegetables are cooked through, add 3/4 of the can of coconut juice (et aside the remaining 1/4 can for the coconut cream). Now add the squash pulp, salt and pepper to taste, and the fresh ginger. Blend with an immersion blender, adding a ladle-ful of broth at a time until the soup reaches the desired consistency. Cook, stirring often, over low flame until soup is heated through.
For the coconut cream: stir together the remaining 1/4 can of coconut milk, the creme fraîche and the lemon juice and zest.
Divide the soup into individual bowls, decorate with coconut cream, toasted coconut flakes and diced chives.
