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Raymond Blanc's recipe for easy pumpkin soup
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(Relaxnews) - Chef Raymond Blanc of the two-Michelin-starred Oxford, England restaurant Le Manoir Aux Quat'Saisons shares his recipe for an easy pumpkin soup.

Pumpkin soup Chef Raymond Blanc recommends using a specific, heirloom pumpkin variety called Ironbark pumpkin for his soup. ©Branislav Senic/Sjuttertsock.com

"A very easy soup," outlines Blanc, "which has lots of richness and flavor. The success of this dish depends very much on the variety of the pumpkin. The best I have found is ‘Potiron Muscade', which is quite large, relatively flat, with dark brown skin and very pronounced curves. In my opinion, this is the best variety to make this soup. You can replace the pumpkin with butternut squash and should you wish you could serve this soup with a generous serving of crème fraiche. This soup can be prepared one day in advance."

Serves (Yield):  4                               
Preparation time: 20 mins  Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients

400g   Pumpkin flesh, ripe, outer skin removed & diced 2cm
200g / 1 small  Onions, chopped finely
40g /2 tbsp   Butter, unsalted
8g / 8 pinches   Sea salt
½g /1 pinch  White pepper, freshly ground
6g / 6 pinches  Sugar, caster
600ml  Milk, whole, organic
Crème fraiche optional

Method

On medium heat, in a 25 cm (10-inch) saucepan, soften the onions in the butter for approximately 5 minutes without coloring. Add the diced pumpkin and soften for approximately 6-8 minutes (the softening with the butter will bring out the sweet flavor of the pumpkin) stirring from time to time then season with salt, pepper and caster sugar. Add the milk, bring to simmering point and simmer for 10 minutes. Note: if you boil the milk too long it will separate, so cook very gently.

Liquidize the soup until it reaches a smooth velvety consistency. Bring the soup back to the boil and serve in a large soup tureen. A nice helping of crème fraiche would add a touch of je ne sais quoi!

Variations

A couple of tablespoons of Kirsch (Cherry alcohol) boiled for 2 seconds is a classic addition. Some grilled croutons topped with gruyere cheese would be a delicious accompaniment. Toasted pumpkin seeds can also be added to the dish.