In the Kitchen with The Fig Cooking School

Heide Lang, Instructor at the Fig Cooking School was in the kitchen sharing her tips for a successfully hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner as well as her recipe for Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Ginger and Caramelized Shallots.

The Fig Cooking School, LLC is an exciting gourmet cooking school that teaches home cooks how to prepare fabulous, interesting food without spending hours in the kitchen. Sign up for a class at www.figcookingschool.com.

Creamy Pumpkin Soup with Ginger and Caramelized Shallots

Ingredients:

•  3 tablespoons canola oil or extra virgin olive oil

•  2 tablespoons butter

•  1 cup (6 ounces) shallots chopped

•  3  15 ounce cans or 6 cups of pureed pumpkin  (or 6 pounds of fresh pumpkin puree)

•  1 medium onion chopped (about 1 cup)

•  8 cups of chicken broth

•  3 small or 2 medium potatoes (1 pound), halved and sliced thin

•  2 ripe pears (preferably Bartlett) cored and cut into one-inch pieces

•  2 tablespoons pure cane sugar (optional)

•  2 teaspoons cinnamon

•  2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger

•  1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

•  8 ounces mascarpone or crème fraiche

•  1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

•  ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

1. Sauté onions and shallots in butter and oil until softened but not brown, about 7 minutes.

2. Add potatoes, 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and sauté for about two minutes.

3. Add chicken broth and pears, Bring to a boil.

4. Simmer until potatoes are soft (about 10-15 minutes). Add ginger and cook for additional 2 minutes.

5. Whisk in pumpkin, cinnamon, and the cayenne (only add cayenne if you want a spicier soup), and sugar (also optional if you don’t add Bartlett pears to the soup).

6. Continue to cook for 5-7 minutes.

7. Puree with immersion blender, or let cool and puree in a food processor or blender until smooth.

8. Add mascarpone cheese or crème fraiche and stir well.

9. Serve with a dollop of additional mascarpone/crème fraiche with a sprinkle of paprika.

For more exciting fall recipes, check out Fig’s food blog as well at www.figtestkichen.com as well.