Easy Gourmet Pumpkin Soup

Apologies for the slow posting this week, but my laptop has been giving me problem lately. I am actually using my husband's now and have to get mine fix over the weekend. *haiz* Luckily I still have a couple of recipes in the flash drive that I can share with you all this week. Else I'll be MIA in the coming 2 weeks! Anyway, these 2 recipes are really easy to whip up and it actually took me less then 2 hours to get them on the table. First recipe is this delicious pumpkin soup that taste like from a fine dining restaurant but yet it can be so easily prepared at your own kitchen. Don't believe me? Just check it out for yourself:

Okay, maybe the presentation need some work, but I can guarantee you this soup taste really good. Don't like pumpkin? Don't fret, you won't feel like you're drinking pumpkin soup! I know most Asians don't usually fancy such thick, creamy soup since it doesn't go with the vegetables and dishes on the table. But having this soup occasionally on a lazy weekend, serving it with some salad or bruschetta is quite a delight too. :P

When I was in California, I made this so often since my husband and I love it very much. Plus having it during winter was so comforting! Downing it with some simple toast and we are already feasting, hahaha! This soup taste like restaurant gourmet soup that will surely impress your family and guests. But you will be surprise how simple the ingredients are involve, check it out:

Ingredients for Simple Gourmet Pumpkin Soup: (Serves 5-6) (adapted from Foodnetwork.coml)

1 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrots, peeled and diced
1 apple, peeled and diced
2 cups fresh pumpkin, roasted and diced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leave (omit if not available)
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup fresh cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 portabella, sliced

• To roast the pumpkin, preheat the oven to 200C. Peel and dice the pumpkin and place on baking dish. Sprinkle salt and black pepper over the diced pumpkin and coat with some olive oil. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes till tender. Note that dice the pumpkin smaller to save roasting time.
  

• In the meantime, heat up a large pot with the butter. Add in diced onions, apples and carrots. Stir and cook till slightly tender. Add in the dried thyme, bay leaf and the roasted pumpkin.
• 
• Continue to cook till mixture is slightly mushy. Add in the chicken stock and cream into it. Cook the mixture till just boil. Off the fire and let cool slightly.
• 
• Then remove the bay leave. Blend the mixture till creamy and return the mixture into the pot and heat up again, but no need to boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. (I only added pepper, the soup was already very flavorful!)

• In a saute pan, heat a tsp of oil and saute the sliced portabella till soften and cooked. Sprinkle some black pepper and salt and garnish over the pumpkin soup if desired.

If you prefer a healthier version, you can choose to omit the cream. Else, live a little...pour on the cream and taste the heavenly creamy soup. ;))

Hope this soup will be served at your dinner table too. It's really a nice simple gourmet soup that is so easy to make. Try it and you will know how delicious this is. ;)

Still not used to this laptop, so will post the other recipe some other day.
Hope to see you folks soon.....cheers all!