This squash and Gruyere soup was one of our favorite dishes at Six Communes, located in the heart of the Swiss Absinthe country. The soup is served tableside over roasted squash, bacon, chestnuts, pumpkin seeds, and microgreens, along with a pitcher of extra soup.
Squash and Gruyere Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
- olive oil
- freshly cracked pepper
- salt
- vegetable stock, as needed
- 250 g Gruyere cheese, grated
- butter, for finishing
- bacon, sliced into lardons and cooked until crisp
- chesnuts
- microgreens
- toasted pumpkin seeds
Instructions
- Rub the inside of each half of the squash with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and freshly cracked pepper. Place the squash halves cut-side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Place in an oven heated to 180°C or 350°F and bake for around an hour, depending on the size of the squash, until the skin pierces easily with a fork. Remove from the oven and scrape out the flesh with a spoon when cool enough to handle.
- Add the squash to a soup pot and add vegetable stock until just covered, then cover and simmer. When the squash is very tender, blend the soup with an immersion blender, or in a stand blender in batches. Return to the pot and add the grated Gruyère cheese, and whisk in a small amount of butter, until creamy.
- To serve, heat the bacon and chestnuts in a small pan over medium heat. Divide the mixture between bowls. Top with microgreens and toasted pumpkin seeds. Then drizzle in the soup on top to serve.