Creamy Pumpkin Bisque Recipe

by Chef Bruce Lefebvre, The Frog and The Peach

Serves about eight 8 ounce bowls

½ Cup Jersey Fresh onion, sliced thin
¼ Cup carrot, peeled and sliced thin
¼ Cup celery, sliced thin
¼ Cup parsnip, peeled and sliced thin
1 Tbs fresh thyme leaves, (dried will work as well)
½ Stick butter (2 ounces)
½ cup flour
½ Cup Bourbon
2 Qt vegetable stock, or water
2 pounds fresh roasted Jersey Fresh pumpkin
¾ Cup crème fraiche, (heavy cream will also work)
1 ½ tsp Chinese five spice
½ tsp white pepper
2 Tbs salt
½ c pumpkinseeds, toasted
1/3 c Pumpkinseed oil, (Extra virgin olive oil will do if not available.)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut pumpkins in half, drizzle with oil and place cut side down on a roasting rack
2. Roast until tender, approx 1 hour. Scoop out flesh and discard skins
3. Heat a 4-5 quart sauce pot and melt the butter.
4. Add the onion, carrot, celery, parsnip and thyme, sweat until tender.
5. Stir in the flour and cook for 8-10 minutes over medium heat stirring occasionally.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and deglaze with bourbon.
7. Return to the heat, add vegetable stock and stir with a whisk until flour is dissolved. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
8. Remove from the heat; add pumpkin puree, Chinese five spice powder, salt, and pepper. With a hand blender puree the mixture until completely smooth. If you do not have a hand blender a regular standing blender will do. Just blend a little pumpkin puree with the soup base in batches.
9. Once the soup is pureed you may strain through a fine strainer pushing it through wit a ladle, though this is not completely necessary but strongly recommended.
10. Finally, stir in the crème fraiche with a whisk and adjust the seasoning as needed.
11. Pour soup into bowls and sprinkle into each bowl 1 Tbs of pumpkinseeds and drizzle in 2 tsp of pumpkinseed or extra virgin olive oil.