Butternut-Squash Bisque Recipe (2024)

Made it this evening and couldn't be more disappointed. It was quite good until I added the TABLESPOON of salt and 1/8 TABLESPOON cayenne, and it suddenly turned awful. I washed at least a quart of it down the drain and hope that the memory disappears by the weekend.

There are some critical missing steps in the instructions.Step 2 1/2: Obviously you have to remove the squash, etc., before you deglaze the pan.Step 3: I used white wine instead of vermouth; fresh, homemade tomato juice; clam juice.Step 3 1/2: I poured the bisque though a strainer over the solids, and then pureed with hand-held mixer. The squash was still too granular and needed additional cooking time.Step 4: I omitted the salt, but did add the lime juice, bacon and seeds.

I've been making this soup since the recipe first appeared in the Times Magazine. It was clear that a tablespoon of salt was way too much, so I just used a teaspoon and labelled the recipe a "keepah" in Boston talk. Also cut way down on the cayenne to 1/4 teaspoon. Maybe both were typos. I make quarts of lobster stock once a year. Definitely makes a difference.

Just leave the bacon out! So simple.

Was looking for something different to do with butternut squash and this elegant dish fit the bill perfectly. Used about half a giant squash, 5 cups high-quality jarred fish broth and a small bottle of clam juice, 0.25 oz of tarragon only (package size), immersion blender, and no pumpkin seeds since we added leftover crawfish at the end, shelled right beforehand. You do not have to remove the squash before deglazing, that’s ridiculous. And we did not add any salt or cayenne.

I have tried countless butternut squash soups and this is our all time favorite. Some about the additional of the fish stock gives a whole new dimension to this dish

This soup is a revelation. One of yhd most delicious soups I've ever tasted. I now have a reason to make stock after every lobster meal! Notes: We very easily deglazed the pan without removing the squash and used a colander instead of a sieve. We used an immersion blender before serving. I think the soup might be improved if bacon bits were used as a garnish along with the pepitas.

Watery & tasteless. A waste of good ingredients. Had to do a lot of re-creating to make it interesting enough to present.

Very good! Did not add the salt and cayenne. Used a bit of Pernod and fennel seeds instead of fennel. Used Lobsters stock from “better the bouillon”Yum.

It was near impossible to reduce the tomato juice as it was immediately absorbed by the breading on the squash. I found the consistency of the soup to be much thinner than desired when only straining. 1/2 cup of tarragon leaves overpowered all of the other flavors of the soup. Next time, I'll remove the squash before deglazing, reduce the liquids in sequence, simmer the broth with the aromatics, steep a fraction of the tarragon, strain, combine with squash and immersion blend.

excellent! I did not use the sieve but blended with a hand blender. Love this!

I did not remove the squash prior to deglazing (!), used a homemade salmon-head and shrimp-peel stock, and blended in the tarragon and some yogurt. I thought it was superb. One tsp of salt wasn’t quite enough. Might try Tabasco instead of cayenne but 1/8 tsp of the latter was nice.

Was looking for something different to do with butternut squash and this elegant dish fit the bill perfectly. Used about half a giant squash, 5 cups high-quality jarred fish broth and a small bottle of clam juice, 0.25 oz of tarragon only (package size), immersion blender, and no pumpkin seeds since we added leftover crawfish at the end, shelled right beforehand. You do not have to remove the squash before deglazing, that’s ridiculous. And we did not add any salt or cayenne.

More confusion: it never says what to do with the squash? add in, pour reduced stock over it?and even though my pieces squash softened, that fennel sure didn't.Help?

I loathe thickening anything with all purpose flour -SO American!_ so in comes the boiled potatoes....& for extra richness at the end (I happened to have it leftover in the frig) a more than generous slosh of so-called heavy cream ( which of course it’s not!).Just how anyone could conveniently deal with eating a whole slice of fried bacon with a soup spoon is a mystery to me, so despite it looking most dramatic pictured thus with the recipe.. still I crumbled it! Super taste- worth the effort

This is awfully good! No need to strain: immersion blender is good enough. It makes a main dish soup if you put in some seafood that matches your stock. I use prosciutto for bacon. (Cuts down fat.) You don't have to use a second pan: just start with it, then add the vegs. You can skip the flour if your squash is big enough to give the soup some body. (Leaves out gluten and a few carbs.) if you make stock with cubes or concentrate (like Better than Bouillon), you won't need any more salt. Superb!

This soup is a revelation. One of yhd most delicious soups I've ever tasted. I now have a reason to make stock after every lobster meal! Notes: We very easily deglazed the pan without removing the squash and used a colander instead of a sieve. We used an immersion blender before serving. I think the soup might be improved if bacon bits were used as a garnish along with the pepitas.

I have tried countless butternut squash soups and this is our all time favorite. Some about the additional of the fish stock gives a whole new dimension to this dish

I've been making this soup since the recipe first appeared in the Times Magazine. It was clear that a tablespoon of salt was way too much, so I just used a teaspoon and labelled the recipe a "keepah" in Boston talk. Also cut way down on the cayenne to 1/4 teaspoon. Maybe both were typos. I make quarts of lobster stock once a year. Definitely makes a difference.

There are some critical missing steps in the instructions.Step 2 1/2: Obviously you have to remove the squash, etc., before you deglaze the pan.Step 3: I used white wine instead of vermouth; fresh, homemade tomato juice; clam juice.Step 3 1/2: I poured the bisque though a strainer over the solids, and then pureed with hand-held mixer. The squash was still too granular and needed additional cooking time.Step 4: I omitted the salt, but did add the lime juice, bacon and seeds.

The review helped me decide how far I would add to the soup. I left out the anise, cardamom, tarragon, creme fraiche, and cayenne. i did add the lime juice and put the squeezed lime skin into the soup pot. Instead of straining the soup, I blended it in the Vita Mix. With a simple salad, it was delicious. Not a drop was thrown away.

Added coconut milk 3 cups, vanilla, brown sugar