Squash Soup with Cheese & Apples
Butternut and acorn squash soup with Gruyere cheese and fresh apple slices. Pureed smooth with a roux-thickened broth, then finished with julienned squash for added texture.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
60 minREADY
80 minThis squash soup uses two varieties of winter squash, butternut and acorn, for a more complex flavor than either one alone. Pureed smooth and thickened with a proper butter-flour roux, then finished with Gruyere cheese and thin apple slices stirred in off the heat.
The smart technique here is reserving some squash as julienne strips while cubing the rest for the puree. Those thin strips get stirred in near the end and add texture to an otherwise silky soup. Every spoonful has both smooth and bite.
Apples and Gruyere go in last, off the heat. The residual warmth melts the cheese into the soup without breaking it into oily strands, and the apple slices stay crisp-tender instead of cooking to mush. That crunch of fresh apple in a warm, cheesy squash soup is something special.
Pro Tips
- Cook the roux for a full 5 minutes, stirring constantly. This cooks out the raw flour taste and gives the soup a cleaner, more refined flavor.
- Add the hot stock to the roux gradually, whisking briskly. Dumping it all in at once creates lumps that are hard to work out.
- Puree in batches and vent the blender lid slightly. Hot soup expands and can blow the top off a sealed blender.
Variations
- Use sharp white cheddar instead of Gruyere for a bolder cheese flavor.
- Add a pinch of nutmeg or curry powder to the soup before pureeing for a warming spice note.
- Top each bowl with toasted pumpkin seeds and a drizzle of good olive oil.
Ingredients
Directions
Peel and seed squashes.
Cut enough into julienne to make ¾ cup of each.
Cover.
Cut remaining squash into rough cubes.
Chop onion and celery.
In a large, heavy saucepan heat the oil with 1½ table- spoons of water.
Add cubed squash, onion, and celery.
Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
Make a medium roux of butter and flour and cook, stirring constantly (about five minutes).
Heat stock and add to roux, stirring briskly until smooth.
Combine cooked vegetables with thickened stock and bring to a simmer.
Lower heat and cook, partly covered, until very tender (30 to 40 minutes).
Purée soup.
Grate cheese.
Peel and seed apples and cut into thin slices.
Stir julienne of squash into soup and heat through (3 minutes).
Remove from the heat and stir in cheese and sliced apples.
Season to taste.
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