For the photo challege I made butternut squash soup with cream of broccli as an acent. It was a really fun time.
Butternut Squash Soup
1 Butternut squash peeled and cubed in 1 inch pieces.
1 medium onion quartered.
2 tbls butter
2 cans of chicken both (of course a quart of homemade would rock, but who has he time for that)
2 pint of heavy cream
4 cloves of garlic
Preheat oven to 400. Roast, squash, onion, and garlic in oven until squash starts to brown. In a medium pot on med-high heat melt butter until it browns. Add roasted veggies and one can of the both bring to a boil. After boiling for 5 minutes remove from heat add cream, and start blending with a immersion blender adding broth until the soup has the right consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. There are many ways of making this even better. Add any (not all) of the following sage, rosemary, thyme, nutmeg, cinnamon, a splash of red wine vinegar.
Cream of Broccoli
1 bunch of broccoli remove the florets
2 tbls butter
3 tbls flour
1/2 medium onion (diced)
3 cups of millk (whole)
1/2 pint of heavy cream
(optional) 1 cup of shredded sharp (medium with due)
Blanch broccoli in boiling water for 5 minutes and move to cold water. Use butter and flour to make a blond roux over medium heat. Remove from heat and let cool a little add milk, cream, onions and return to the heat. As the mixture hits a boil add broccoli back and remove from the heat (all of this heat management is to make sure that the broccoli stays green). Blend it, blend it good. I would recommend adding it to heat once more and whisk in a cup of sharp cheddar cheese a little at a time.
Parmigiana Crisps
Pre-heat oven to 400. Grate Parmigiana (or any hard grated cheese I have even done it with cheddar). On parchment place flattened pile of the cheese add a little pepper and bake until brown (you know the look) remove and QUICKLY mold or cut to your shape.