Product Review: Sugar Bowl Bakery Palmiers
Autumn is here! As the weather gets cooler we look to heartier recipes to fill our stomachs. This Pumpkin-Apple Soup from our friends at Cooking Light is the perfect dish to enjoy on a cool Fall night. This tasty recipe can act as a base and be made into two separate soups. For mature palates, Chipotle Spiced Pumpkin Soup provides a kick and Thai Coconut Pumpkin Soup will keep younger palates satisfied with its sweet taste of coconut. These small variations give each soup a different flavor makeup.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, chopped
4 cups (1/2-in.) cubed peeled fresh pumpkin or butternut squash (about 1 lb. 2 oz.)
1 large Granny Smith apple, cut into 1/2-in. cubes
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
3 cups unsalted vegetable stock (such as Swanson)
2 tablespoons raw hulled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 cup apple cider
Instructions:
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes. Add pumpkin, apples, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 5 minutes, stirring often. Add stock; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 25 minutes or until pumpkin and apples are tender.
2. While soup cooks, combine pepitas, sugar, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook 7 minutes or until sugar melts and pepitas are toasted, stirring often. Transfer to a plate; cool completely, breaking up any clumps.
3. Place half of pumpkin mixture in a blender, remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape). Secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters); blend until smooth. Place soup in a bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining pumpkin mixture. Pour in apple cider, and reheat in pan if needed. Divide soup evenly among 8 bowls; sprinkle evenly with pepitas.
- Thai-Coconut Soup: Omit cinnamon; instead add 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger with the pumpkin and apples in step 1. Omit apple cider; instead add 3/4 cup light coconut milk and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Omit pepitas, sugar, and salt in step 2; instead sprinkle evenly with 2 tablespoons cilantro before serving. Serve with lime wedges.
- Chipotle-Spiced Pumpkin Soup: Increase cinnamon to 1/2 teaspoon. Add 1 finely chopped seeded chipotle chile canned in adobo sauce to apples and pumpkin in step 1. Omit apple cider; instead add 1/4 cup water. Omit pepitas, sugar, and salt in step 2; instead garnish with 1 ounce thinly sliced and slivered Spanish chorizo, cooked in a small skillet over medium-low heat until crisp.
Tips & Trick:
- Simple toppings like salty-sweet pepitas, chorizo, or freshly chopped herbs make each soup more flavorful.
- For a fun, no-fuss garnish, top any of the soups with 2 tablespoons popped popcorn.
The Creative Kitchen™, LLC, teaches children about food and how to cook in a fun, safe, and educational manner. Targeting families with children ages two to teen, the company focuses on teaching, writing creative content and curriculum, special events, recipe development, spokesperson work, webisode production and consulting to present educational and entertaining content through food-related activities. The founder, Cricket Azima, is an expert in cooking for and with children. She inspires kids to express themselves creatively through food and cooking, while complementing lessons with traditional educational material such as social studies, math, arts, science, and more. Visit www.thecreativekitchen.com for more information.
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