COOK THIS BOOK
Chowgirls round up a satisfying recipe for a flavourful shot of butternut bisque,
Any good shot will offer a kick — a kick of liquor bar-side late at night, or a kick of salt and butter to awaken the palate and start the party.
The latter is where Chow girls catering comes in with these warm, soothing butternut squash shots for the winter months. Amy Brown and Heidi Ander mack lead a team of chefs in an awardwinning “Killer Catering” business across the American Midwest. Chow girls: Killer Party Food is their first cookbook, promising “righteous bites and cocktails for every season.”
The Becca named in the Becca’s Butternut Bisque recipe is a former Chow girls chef, who rose from prep cook to pastry chef to head chef “as her mad food talents were revealed.” Though she’s no longer with Chowgirls, Becca’s bisque lives on. The book: With 85 of the Chow girls most popular appetizers, small plates and cocktails, Chow girls: Killer Party Food has a lot to offer for the holiday party season. The quote: “It’s our goal to take comfort foods to the next level, keeping them simple while renewing them with fresh, organic ingredients and elevating their flavour profiles with our own creativity.” The tester: Putting me in the Star’s test kitchen is a stretch. Give me a box of frozen chicken fingers and I’ll feel like a pro, but in this kitchen, I’m an amateur.
This recipe was easy enough for me to master. Recipes I’m dying to make: The Iron Range Pasties, Corn Pancakes with Carnitas & Pickled Red Onion, Bright and Spicy Devilled Eggs, and the Bourbon Peach Shrub, which they call “the southern belle” of the Chow girls cocktail list.
Becca’s Butternut Bisque
Star Tested Be warned: these soup shots are an intense concentration of flavour and very buttery and salty. If that’s your style then have at it, but the moresensitive sipper may want to cut back on the 8 total tablespoons of butter and 3 tablespoons of salt this recipe calls for.
The Chow girls suggest seasoning the soup to taste with 2 tbsp (30mL) of sherry vinegar. If you cannot find it, they suggest leaving it out or substituting rice vinegar. White wine vinegar can be substituted for the champagne vinegar. 1 tbsp (15mL) olive oil 6 cups (900 g) butternut squash, peeled and cubed. I used two 454 g packages of President’s Choice pre-peeled and pre-cut butternut squash. 5 tbsp (75mL) unsalted butter 21/2 cups (625mL) chopped yellow onions 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced 1/2 cup (125mL) white wine 2 tbsp (30mL) champagne vinegar 4 cups (1 L) vegetable broth 3 tbsp (45mL) kosher salt 3/4 cup (175mL) heavy cream of 35- to 40-per-cent milk fat 2 tbsp (30mL) sherry vinegar 3 tbsp (45mL) salted butter (for browning) 3 tbsp (45mL) pistachios, chopped for garnish Line a medium-large baking sheet with parchment paper.
In large bowl, drizzle olive oil over squash pieces and toss to coat.
Spread squash pieces in single layer on baking sheet and roast for 1 hour at 340 F (180 C) turning once, or until pieces are softened and edges browned.
Meanwhile, in a medium pot over medium heat, melt unsalted butter.
On low heat, add onions and sauté for 10 minutes, until onions have sweated and moisture has evaporated.
Increase heat to medium-high, stir onions frequently and scrape up caramelization from bottom of pan. Once onions are medium-brown, add garlic and sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Increase heat to high and add white wine and champagne vinegar until caramelization dissolves. This is called deglazing the pan. Continue to cook for 5 minutes to reduce liquids.
After wine and vinegar have almost completely evaporated from pan, add roasted squash, broth, salt and cream. Cook on medium-low heat for 10-15 minutes or until squash begins to break down.
Carefully transfer soup to blender. Blend on high until soup appears creamy and smooth.
Pass soup mixture through strainer if desired.
Add sherry vinegar (or rice vinegar) and salt to taste if desired.
In small saucepan over medium heat, melt salted butter for 2-3 minutes or until solids start to brown.
Pour bisque into shot glasses or other small glasses.
Drizzle top of each with brown butter and garnish with chopped pistachios.
Makes 18 to 24 shots. jforani@thestar.ca