Recipe: Butternut Squash & Chestnut Soup with Double Crème de la Gruyère

An easy weeknight soup for the autumn season – Butternut squash and chestnut velouté topped with crisp lardons and double crème de la Gruyère. The chestnuts help give this bright soup a velvety texture. In addition, it pairs nicely with a Chardonnay from the canton of Neuchâtel.

How to make it:

Butternut Squash-Chestnut Soup

  • Servings: 2-3
  • Difficulty: easy
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Ingredients

  • 1-2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 shallot (about 1/3 cup), finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • 1-2 dried bay leaves
  • 1 cup chestnuts, frozen or canned/jarred
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 2 1/2 cups butternut squash, cubed
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • Toppings: fresh parsleyfried lardons (or bacon), and double crème de la Gruyère (or crème fraîche)

Directions

  1. In a large saucepan, saute the shallots and garlic in butter over medium heat until they become soft and transparent.
  2. Add the chestnuts, bay leaf and white wine. Continue to stir frequently until the wine has cooked into the chestnuts, then add the butternut squash and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, and let simmer for about 15 minutes, until the chestnuts easily break apart and the butternut squash is soft.
  3. Remove the bay leaf. Then, use a blender to puree the soup together until smooth.
  4. Stir in 1/4 to 1/2 cup milk, depending on how thick you want the soup. Gently reheat and serve immediately, topped with finely chopped parsley, fried lardons and a dollop of double crème de la Gruyère.

Wine Pairing for a Butternut Squash Soup

To serve with this soup, Guillaume of DADA, le vin suisse recommended a Swiss Chardonnay, élevé en barrique (aged in oak barrels), from Les Vins Porrets. This cozy wine shop is located in the historic center of Neuchâtel.

Le French Paradoxe (UPDATE: The name of this wine shop has changed to DADA, le vin suisse), Rue du Trésor 2, 2000 Neuchâtel, +41 (0)32 535 12 79.

8 replies »

    • Thank you so much, Stella!! I really appreciate your feedback! Hope you’re doing well, and have a great weekend. -Heddi

  1. I’m not familiar with double creme de la Gruyere. Here in the US we have double creme and we certainly have Gruyere, but I don’t know of a product that combines them both. I see the link to the description but I can’t translate it. If it’s something that can be made at home, it would be great to have a recipe! It sounds heavenly!

    • Hello! Great questions – thanks for sharing them. This is just one of those ingredients that I think would be impossible to try and find in the US. For more info about it (in English), David Lebovitz has a good blog post for you: https://www.davidlebovitz.com/la-gruyere-double-cream/. In my opinion, I think that crème fraîche is a good substitute. Good luck! I hope you like this recipe, and please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have other suggestions. Many thanks, -Heddi

  2. Ah, ok, thank you – now I understand! I had originally guessed it to be some sort of a whipped emulsion between Gruyere Cheese and double cream, so I appreciate the clarification.

    • Great – glad this info was helpful. Anytime you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. Many thanks for visiting my blog! Best wishes, -Heddi

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