Smooth pumpkin cream (Pumpkin soup, by Philippe Laruelle)

Pumpkin is one of the star ingredients of autumn, and also the base of a basic and indispensable cream to warm up during the cold months of the year. Today, this smooth pumpkin cream recipe (or pumpkin soup) is here to stay as a wardrobe staple for all who haven't enjoyed it yet.

For the more cooky ones, or to elevate this soup for your guests, you'll like to know that this is a recipe by French chef Philippe Laruelle. You'll see it's no secret, just care and quality ingredients - it's all about showcasing the delicious flavor of the pumpkin!

We cook this cream using the traditional method, in classic, timeless pots like the De Buyer ones, but in the final notes I also indicate how to make it in a pressure cooker.

Below you'll also see the step-by-step to present the cream with a pretty flower drawing -it gives a wonderful presence when bringing the cream to the table.

Prim Appety stainless steel pot by De Buyer

Ingredients

• 1 kg butternut squash ("Musquée de Provence" or "Cucurbita moschata")
• 300 ml chicken stock
• 250 ml cooking cream (18% fat)
• 80 g thick cream or whipping cream (35% fat)
• Olive oil
• Salt (approx. 1 tsp, you can adjust to taste)
• Ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Peel the pumpkin and cut 2/3 of its size into large cubes, removing the rind.
2. In a sauté pan or directly in the bottom of the Prim'apetit stainless steel pot from De Buyer, fry the pumpkin pieces in a few tablespoons of hot olive oil.
3. When the pumpkin pieces are golden (fried), season with salt and add the chicken stock. Cover and simmer (30 to 40 minutes from when the stock boils*).
4. When the pumpkin is cooked (tender when pierced with a fork), remove from the heat and add the cooking cream. Blend with an electric blender.
5. Adjust salt if necessary. After a few minutes, when it has lost the most intense heat, you can decorate the cream with cream, as indicated below. Serve hot.

Preparation of the garnish (optional, for serving):

Cut the remaining pumpkin into small dice (brunoise). In a pan, sauté them over high heat in olive oil. Remove to a plate lined with absorbent paper and set aside.

For presentation:

1. Garnish the cream, still in the pot that you will bring to the table, with cooking cream: you can draw a spiral, or trace a flower -below you'll see how to make a pretty flower drawing in the easiest way.
2. Serve each diner a bowl, mini-casserole or a deep plate with a base of pumpkin cubes, the ones you sautéed in the previous step. When serving, pour the hot soup over them. You can decorate the top with a little mascarpone, pieces of burrata (small pieces, or they will sink to the bottom), pumpkin seeds and/or a bit of black or red pepper powder.

How to decorate your pumpkin cream (or other creams)

Being a cream with a smooth texture, it's not advisable to decorate the surface with fruits or foods that are heavy, as they will sink to the bottom. But any cream accepts a lovely decoration with cooking cream. You can make circles, let it fall as drops, or draw a beautiful flower. Here's how to do it:

1. Using a piping bag, draw a spiral of liquid cream*, starting from the center and moving in circles outward.
2. Draw lines: with the tip of a knife, starting from the center and drawing straight lines outward, leaving similar but separated spaces between each.
3. Repeat the operation, but this time drawing lines from the outside to the center. Make them between the lines you drew previously.

*You can use light cooking cream or whipping cream (I prefer the latter for decoration; it has more body and holds its shape better),

Notes

• The cooking time varies depending on whether the stock was cold or already hot, and depending on the size you cut the pumpkin pieces -if you cut them small, in 25 minutes they can be cooked and the cream ready to blend. If you made very large pieces, you'll require 40 minutes. But don't worry, it's easy to get it right, and hard to overcook or undercook (when you see the pumpkin tender, stop the heat)
• You can also make this cream in a pressure cooker: you'll save time. What you should do is brown the pumpkin in the bottom of the pot and, once you've added the salt and the stock, close and cook under pressure. It will be ready 15 minutes after the pressure rings have risen.
• You can add a couple or three carrots if you want; it makes a delicious cream along with the pumpkin flavor.
• If you like a more liquid cream, blend more (you can also add more stock, but be aware it will reduce the intensity of the pumpkin flavor). If you want it thicker, add a carrot or a medium peeled potato when you add the stock and start cooking.