Thomas Keller's Butternut Soup with Brown Butter, Sage, and Nutmeg Crème Fraîche Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Make Ahead

by: Genius Recipes

November25,2014

4.6

13 Ratings

Thomas Keller's Butternut Soup with Brown Butter, Sage, and Nutmeg Crème Fraîche Recipe on Food52 (1)

Prep time 30 minutes
Cook time 2 hours
Serves 6

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Author Notes

This is a perfect recipe to make for incoming holiday guests, by yourself in the quiet days leading up to their arrival. Its flavors sweeten and develop with a day or two in the fridge, and will go over very well in mixed company: You'll take care of the omnivores, the vegetarians, the gluten-averse, and the elderly relatives on soft food diets, all with one pot. Recipe adapted slightly fromBouchon (Artisan, 2004). —Genius Recipes

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

Ingredients

1 3 to 3 1/2-pound butternut squash
2 tablespoonscanola oil
1 pinchKosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
2 sprigssage
1 cupthinly sliced (1/8-inch thick) leeks, white and light green parts only
¹/₂ cupthinly sliced (1/8-inch thick) carrots
¹/₂ cupthinly sliced (1/8-inch thick) shallots
¹/₂ cupthinly sliced (1/8-inch thick) onions
6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed
2 tablespoonshoney
6 cupsvegetable stock, plus extra if necessary
8 sprigsthyme, 2 sprigs Italian parsley, 2 bay leaves, and 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns, all wrapped in a bouquet garni packet made of 2 green leek leaves
4 tablespoons(2 ounces) unsalted butter
¹/₄ cupcrème fraîche
1 pinchFreshly grated nutmeg
Canola oil (if using sage leaves)
1 tablespoonminced chives or 12 sage leaves
1 pinchKosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 splashExtra virgin olive oil, to garnish

Directions

For the soup: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a small baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment.
Cut the neck off the squash and set it aside. Cut the bulb in half and scoop out and discard the seeds. Brush each half inside and out with about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the canola oil. Sprinkle the cavities with salt and pepper and tuck a sprig of sage into each. Place cut side down on the baking sheet and roast for about 1 hour, or until completely tender.
Remove the squash from the oven and let cool, then scoop out and reserve the flesh (discard sage).
Meanwhile, using a paring knife or a peeler, carefully peel away the skin from the neck of the squash until you reach the bright orange flesh. Cut the flesh into 1/2-inch pieces (you should have about 4 cups).
Put the remaining canola oil in a stockpot over medium-high heat, add the leeks, carrots, shallots, and onions and cook, stirring often, for about 6 minutes. Add the diced squash, garlic, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and cook gently for 3 minutes, reducing the heat as necessary to keep the garlic and squash from coloring. Stir in the honey and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock and bouquet garni, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the squash is tender.
Add the roasted squash and simmer gently for about 30 minutes for the flavors to blend. Remove from the heat and discard the bouquet garni. Transfer the soup to a blender, in batches, and puree. Strain the soup through a fine sieve into a bowl. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning. Let the soup cool, then refrigerate until ready to serve.
To complete: Place the crème fraîche in a chilled small metal bowl and stir in nutmeg to taste. Whisk with a small whisk until the crème fraîche holds a shape. Cover and refrigerate.
Reheat the soup. If it is too thick, add a little more vegetable stock. Heat a medium skillet over high heat. When it is very hot, add the butter and rotate the skillet over the heat as necessary to brown the butter evenly, scraping up any bits that settle in the bottom. As soon as the foaming has subsided and the butter is a hazelnut brown, pour it into the pot of soup. Be careful not to leave the butter over the heat too long, as it can change from rich brown to black in seconds.
Meanwhile, if using sage leaves, heat 1/8 inch of canola oil in a small skillet. When the oil is very hot, add the sage and cook for 30 to 45 seconds, turning the leaves to crisp them on both sides. When the bubbling stops, the moisture in the leaves will have evaporated and the leaves will be crisp. Drain the sage on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
Ladle the soup into six serving bowls. Top each with a dollop of crème fraîche. Grind some black pepper over the top and garnish each with 2 sage leaves or some minced chives. Drizzle a little olive oil over the top.

Tags:

Soup
American
Honey
Leek
Vegetable
Chive
Sage
Shallot
Carrot
Butter
Nutmeg
Make Ahead

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Recipe by: Genius Recipes

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34 Reviews

Rich.resnick December 13, 2022

Suzy Q. December 12, 2017

Can this be made in advance at all? If so, how much in advance? I imagine the creme fraiche would go in after...

Thank you!

Suzy Q. December 8, 2017

This sounds sumptuous and the slide/photos below the save recipe option offer great visual assistance for many home cooks. I finish my 7 day water fast Sunday night and Monday morning I'll be in the kitchen creating some well deserved delights. Thank you! Ps. Will leave feedback soon.

Nick December 7, 2017

Great soup. We strained a little to assess the flavor, which was amazing, but we decided to keep it thick and not strain it. Used a mesh-ball tea strainer for the boquet garni instead.

Rachel November 29, 2017

Really great soup. Been craving a butternut soup I once enjoyed at a fancy restaurant when an expense account was part of my life. I figured this was a good opportunity to cash in on my Vitamix investment. I loved the attention to detail in the two different approaches to cooking the squash. Next time I will stuff the squash with more sage and perhaps some garlic. I don’t like leeks so omitted those and added a bit more of everything else. I’ve always wanted to assemble some Bouquet Garni so was excited to check that step off the list! (Make sure you have kitchen string..) If you’re going to make your own stock and then cook squash two ways I figure you better not wimp out on you garnish game. FRY THE SAGE (it’s wort it, you can tell because I used all caps.) Go ahead make your own darn Creme fraiche too — it only takes a night and you should try and do this soup all in a day ;). So change step one to mix fresh cream and cultured buttermilk and let sit overnight. #noregrets

Danee K. November 22, 2017

Stunningly good.

Stephen Y. November 4, 2017

This is a soup where the synergy justifies the complexity. Probably the most sophisticated and best tasting soup I have ever made. As a bonus, I fried cilantro leaves alongside the sage.

monica January 9, 2017

i refer to T.K. recipes as, "and then," because when you think you must be finished you realize there is another step- "and then..."
yes, this soup is worth every step. yes, you do need another butternut squash soup recipe. YUM.
BTW- i made his vege stock for this and it was absolutely divine.

monica December 10, 2016

Excellent recipe. Typical Keller in that there are many steps, and well worth the effort. This soup has depth. Flavors are clean and well balanced. I used his recipe for the veggie stock as well. Love it. Definitely a keeper

susan C. November 13, 2016

Can this be frozen before the creme fraiche step? Would love to make it ahead for Thanksgiving!

fiona H. October 22, 2016

The recipe in the list of ingredients calls for one butternut squash, but the method refers to two squashes. one pre-roasted, the other simmered in stock. Please would you clarify?

Mrs B. October 23, 2016

When I read this recipe the first time, I was also confused. Then I went back and read it a second time and noticed that they refer to the "bulb" of the squash, as opposed to the "neck" of the squash. The straight cylindrical part is the neck, and the portion that flares out is the bulb. So you cut the squash crosswise where it starts to flare out, then cut that bulb lengthwise and roast it. You then take the neck -- the long cylinder -- and peel and cut that for cooking on top of the stove.
I hope this helps.

fiona H. October 24, 2016

Thank you Beryl! I did eventually realize I'd missed that. Thanks for your kind response.

Mrs B. October 24, 2016

I'm happy to have been of assistance, fiona. I'm actually making this recipe for the first time in a few days . . . test driving it for the holidays, and rather looking forward to it.

NOYB October 21, 2016

Gluten-adverse?! BTW, some of us can't have gluten. It's called celiac disease. Look it up!

LaDonna M. October 7, 2016

This was absolutely amazing. I was worried that my 2lb butternut squash wouldn't be enough so I doubled the carrots and it was still really, really good. Don't skip the sage for the roasted squash or the fried sage at the end!

bittersweet January 20, 2016

This is one of my favorite recipes. What makes it genius is the use of both roasted and simmered squash. The roasted squash adds real depth of flavor that is balanced by the fresher taste of the simmered. Combining both methods makes for a wonderful soup. I have often used home made chicken broth instead of vegetable since that is what I had available. I only use one tablespoon of honey. This one's a keeper.

Heather P. December 16, 2015

whack good