Butternut Squash Soup With Apples and Bacon

Butternut Squash Soup With 

Apples and Bacon

This is a recipe from a cooking class my friend Ann and I took with our favorite instructor, Phillis Carey.  I know this recipe will become a family favorite.

Ingredients;

4 slices bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4" strips

1/4 cup chopped shallots

2 1/2 lbs. butternut squash, (about 1 med.)

   peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2" dice

1 small Fugi or other tart-sweet apple, 

   peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2" dice

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 cups chicken broth

1 Tablespoon chopped thyme leaves

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Directions;

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot set over medium heat, cook the bacon, stirring occasionally, until crisp and golden, 8 to 10 minutes.  Use a slotted spoon to transfer the bacon to a plate lined with paper towels.

Increase heat to medium high.  Add the shallots and squash to the pot with the bacon fat and cook until lightly browned, 4 minutes (resist the urge to stir or it won't brown).  Stir in the apple, curry, salt, and pepper and cook for about 4 minutes.  Add the broth, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to maintain a simmer and cook until the squash and apples are very soft, 6 to 8 minutes.

Puree soup with an emersion blender until almost smooth.  Stir in the thyme anad half of the bacon.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Reheat the soup and garnish each serving with remaining bacon.

Tips shared in class;  

Fruit prepared ahead that can turn dark will retain its natural color if soaked up to 4 hours in regular Sprite soda.   

Herbs used in cooking: dried herbs need to be added earlier in preparation to be hydrated and flavor imparted.  Fresh herbs should be added at the end of cooking as they should not be "cooked".  

Red Delicious and McIntosh Apples turn mushy when cooked and do not hold up in the soup.

Rosemary Rubbed Pork Tenderloin With Blackberry Wine Sauce

Rosemary Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

With

Blackberry Wine Sauce

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Boursin Polenta (Monday)

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I attended a fun cooking class with a great instructor. The title was "Wine Country Entertaining". I must say I enjoyed all of the recipes except the dessert. I am not a fan of commercial angel food cake. I will pass along the recipes from this class for you to enjoy.

Ingredients:

2 pork tenderloins

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1/4 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

rosemary sprigs

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Directions:

Trim pork of all fat and silverskin. Combine garlic, rosemary, and olive oil. Rub all over the pork and let stand for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Can be marinated day before.

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Wrap in plastic wrap or but use no salt in marinade as it will dehydrate meat. This marinade contains no acid to "cook" the meat.

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Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the pork. Cook only to brown on all sides 6 to 8 minutes total. The instructor said 2 minutes on each side rotating four sides. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and roast 25 to 30 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 155 degrees. Let stand 8 minutes before slicing on the diagonal into 1/2 inch slices.

Note 155 degrees is ideal internal temp. 160 degrees is disaster zone. Always use a meat thermometer. Serves 4 to 5

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Blackberry Wine Sauce

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries

2 cups Zinfandel wine

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup unsalted butter. cut into four pieces and chilled

***

Directions:

Place berries (still frozen if using), wine and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half. Strain sauce pressing on berries to extract as much juice as possible. Return to saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk in butter, a piece at a time, until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Once butter is added sauce should not boil again. Serves 4 to 5