Pumpkin, Bacon & Blue Cheese Soup

Sweet, smoky, salty, and a little funky, this soup is not your average bowl of pumpkin. Molasses deepens the pumpkin into something earthy and almost caramelized, bacon adds smoke, gorgonzola brings a sharp, salty funk, and a pinch of cayenne keeps it from going one-note. It is the kind of unexpected combination that wins people over by the second spoonful.

It starts where the flavor lives: shallots softened in the reserved bacon drippings. From there it is a quick dump-and-simmer of stock, pumpkin, cream, molasses, and warm pumpkin pie spice.

The blue cheese is the finishing move, and technique matters. Whisk it in off a hard boil so it melts into the soup creamy and smooth rather than seizing into clumps. Keep the heat gentle once the cream and cheese are in, since a rolling boil can make it separate. Crown each bowl with crumbled bacon and the rest of the cheese, and dinner is on the table in about fifteen minutes.

Chef Tips

• Saute the shallots in the reserved bacon drippings. That smoky fat is the flavor foundation, so do not pour it out.
• Whisk the blue cheese in off a hard boil so it melts creamy instead of seizing into clumps.
• Keep the soup at a gentle simmer once the cream and cheese go in. A hard boil can make it separate.

Variations

• Swap the molasses for maple syrup or brown sugar for a different kind of sweetness.
• Use sweet potato or butternut squash in place of the pumpkin.
• Top with toasted pumpkin seeds or a swirl of cream for a dinner-party finish.