October 25, 2024
Squash velouté, cream and truffle toast
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients for 8 people:
This strange variety of spherical squash from
Asia, with its delicate chestnut-like flavour, is
an organic curiosity with a hard outer skin and
flesh that is infinitely tender.
For the velouté:
Start by peeling and chopping the onion. Sweat
it in a few drops of olive oil, removing it from the
heat before it begins to colour. Peel and dice the
squash. Add the diced squash to the onions. Add
some pepper, but not too much salt: reducing the
soup will concentrate the flavours. Add the chicken
stock and cook on a low heat for 15 minutes. The
delicacy of this velouté is in the subtle blend of
strength and sweetness, so don’t skimp on the milk
or cream. Incorporate it and cook for a further
5 minutes. Blend and sieve the soup, then add a
pinch of nutmeg and adjust the seasoning.
To toast the hazelnuts – which subtly evoke the
chestnut flavour of this strange gourd – roast them
in a single layer on a baking tray for 5–10 minutes
in the oven at 180°C (350°F/Gas mark 4). Skin
the hazelnuts by rubbing them in a cloth, then
coarsely chop them.
To serve:
Warm the creamy soup before serving. Pour the
soup into soup plates and scatter some hazelnuts
over each portion.
The first mouthful of velouté is like a comforting
caress, and it’s good to imagine enjoying it by
the fireside.
Chef ’s tips:
For even more creaminess, add a quenelle of
vanilla-flavoured whipped cream before scattering
over the hazelnuts.
Add a slice of bread topped with truffle shavings for a touch of complexity !
Wine-food match:
We recommend that you pair this dish with a
BLASON D’ISSAN 2015.
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