Roasted Acorn Squash and Crawfish Bisque

Description

Fall acorn squash roasted with warm spices, butter, and brown sugar. Finished with fresh basil and Louisiana Crawfish tails.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup light brown sugar
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
  • 4 acorn squash, halved and seeded
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 1 cup minced yellow onion
  • 1 cup minced celery
  • 1 cup minced red bell pepper
  • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
  • 2 quarts seafood stock
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • sea salt and white pepper to taste
  • 2 (16 ounce) packages cooked and peeled whole crawfish tails

Instructions

  1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
  2. Combine the brown sugar with 1/4 cup butter
  3. cinnamon
  4. and five spice powder in a microwave safe bowl. Cook in the microwave on High until the butter has completely melted. Place the acorn squash cut side up onto the aluminum foil; brush with the brown sugar mixture.
  5. Bake in the preheated oven until the squash is tender and golden brown
  6. about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven
  7. allow to cool
  8. and scoop out and reserve the flesh.
  9. Melt the remaining 1/4 cup of butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion
  10. celery
  11. and bell pepper. Cook and stir until the onion has softened and turned translucent
  12. about 5 minutes. Add the acorn squash
  13. garlic
  14. and seafood stock. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 30 minutes.
  15. Stir the cream and basil into the simmering soup; season with nutmeg
  16. salt
  17. and white pepper. Pour the soup into a blender
  18. filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel
  19. and carefully start the blender
  20. using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately
  21. you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot. Once pureed
  22. add the crawfish tails
  23. and simmer a few minutes until hot.

Prep Time: 40 mins

Cook Time: 2 hrs 20 mins

Total Time: 3 hrs

Servings: 12

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