ISO: Mexican Pumpkin Soup/Walnut Butter

[ljt2r]

I was recently at the East Coast Grill in Boston where I had the MOST amazing pumpkin soup with their Day of the Dead brunch. I asked how they made it and was told with pumpkin, cream, stock, some onions and walnut butter plus spices. My first question is if anyone knows where I might find walnut butter, if not, any good substitutes, and what quantity would I use? I've never seen walnut butter, let alone cooked with it. Secondly, I was wondering if anyone had any good spicy, Mexican pumpkin soup recipes (savory, not sweet)? I feel confident I can eventually figure it out, but any guidance from anyone who has already made something like this would be much appreciated!

Thanks! Laura

PS I don't particularly care if it is very light, but suggestions that direction would be great also.

[Gecko]

This soup was recently posted on Gail's Recipe Swap (Epicurious) and although it is not light it sure sounds good.

SOUTHWESTERN PUMPKIN SOUP
"The Watermark restaurant here in Cleveland is my favorite place to take out-of-town guests�and I find other excuses to go, too," writes Bob Charleton of Cleveland, Ohio. " Last time I went there, I had lunch in the Garden Room, a glassed-in space overlooking the Cuyahoga River. The highlight of the meal was an unusual pumpkin soup topped with cheddar cheese."
Surprisingly easy to make, this soup is flavored with cumin and chili powder.

3 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream

1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin 3 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2teaspoon ground coriander
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup (packed) grated sharp cheddar cheese
Chopped fresh cilantro

Bring chicken stock and whipping cream to boil in heavy medium pot. Whisk in canned pumpkin, brown sugar, cumin, chili powder, coriander and nutmeg. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until soup thickens slightly and flavors blend, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Soup can be prepared up to 1 day ahead. Cool. Cover and refrigerate. Rewarm over medium-low heat, whisking occasionally.) Ladle soup into bowls. Garnish each serving with cheddar cheese and cilantro and serve.

Makes 4 (first-course) servings.


Bon App�tit
October 2000

R.S.V.P.
The Watermark. Cleveland, OH

[avariell]

im gonna bump this one up since i am 99.99% sure that this post is from my sister who i told about the bb and promised her that there were a million people here with the answers to everything...


gecko... that soup sounds really good... but i think i like anything with cheese in it

[KristinK]

I don't have any suggestions for the soup, but you can make your own walnut butter, using a food processor to process the walnuts into a paste. CL had a feature on nut butters in the October '02 issue. I don't have it with me now, but maybe someone with the issue could post the specifics.

[ljt2r]

Does anyone know if you add anything in particular to turn it into a butter, or would the oil in the nut be enough? I did not receive CL in 2002, so I know I don't have that issue. Anyone?

Thanks!

[beejayw1]

Originally posted by ljt2r
Does anyone know if you add anything in particular to turn it into a butter, or would the oil in the nut be enough? I did not receive CL in 2002, so I know I don't have that issue. Anyone?

I've made my own peanut butter and I just pulverized the peanuts in a food processor and then added a little oil, but I did a search to see if there was anything else I was supposed to be doing.

Here's what I found:

Nut Butter Spread
2 Cup Nuts, cashews, pecans, walnuts, almonds
1 Cup Sesame seeds
1 Cup Sunflower seed kernels

Place the nuts, sunflower seed kernels and seeds in an electric blender and blend until fine. Add enough oil to blend them to a paste. Sweeten with honey.

Store in covered jar in the refrigerator. Yield: about two cups.

Now, it would seem to me that you could just use the walnuts and enough oil to make it into a nice paste rather than adding the sesame seeds and the sunflower seeds.

I'd use a nearly flavorless oil to moisten. You'll have to stir it every time you use it, since the oil tends to rise to the top with these homemade butters.

P.S.: welcome!

[LaraW]

Originally posted by beejayw1

Now, it would seem to me that you could just use the walnuts and enough oil to make it into a nice paste rather than adding the sesame seeds and the sunflower seeds.

I'd use a nearly flavorless oil to moisten. You'll have to stir it every time you use it, since the oil tends to rise to the top with these homemade butters.

P.S.: welcome!

I agree - I would only add that you might want to toast the walnuts before using the food processor as it tends to bring the flavor out better.

And Welcome!

[ljt2r]

Thanks! I love these bulletin boards. If anyone has any thoughts on the soup--even a non-Mexican pumpkin soup if there is some special ingredient you know of to make it more than just canned pumpkin plus cream--that would be great.