Takashi Kinoshita’s Kuri Kabocha Velouté

Savoury-sweet and creamy, pumpkin and squash soups are a staple of autumn. Upgrade your go-to recipe with this version from Michelin-star Chef Takashi Kinoshita of Château de Courban in Burgundy.

Takashi Kinoshita’s Kuri Kabocha Velouté

Serves 4
Preparation Time: 1 hour
Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

For The Soup:
1 Kuri Kabocha Squash, about 500g
1 small onion
½ litre chicken stock (or water and chicken bouillon cube equivalent)
½ litre cream
½ teaspoon ginger powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
10g butter
Salt
Pepper

For The Truffle Whipped Cream:
100g whipping cream
10g truffle shavings (or substitute truffle oil)
Pinch of ground ginger

For The Truffle Foam:
1 tablespoon truffle whipped cream (see above)
¼ litre chicken stock (or water and chicken bouillon cube equivalent)
10g butter
A bit of grated fresh ginger

Method:

For The Velouté:

1. Finely slice the onion and squash. In a pot, brown the onions in butter and olive oil until they become translucent.

2. Add the squash, sprinkle with ginger and brown as if for a risotto.

3. Pour in the chicken stock, reduce heat to low, and simmer until reduced by half.

4. Blend everything together, and add salt and pepper to taste.

For The Truffle Whipped Cream:

1. Whip the cream into whipped cream.

2. Gently incorporate the pieces of truffle (or truffle oil) and the ginger. Set aside.

For The Truffle Foam:

1. Heat the chicken stock and add the truffle whipped cream, butter and fresh ginger.

2. Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until a foam forms.

To Serve:

Spoon the velouté into a soup plate, add a scoop of truffle whipped cream, and use a spoon to gently scoop up the truffle foam and place it on the plate. You can finish by adding a few truffle shavings to further enhance this dish.

Recipe provided by and published with permission of Chef Takashi Kinoshita of Château de Courban. Photo in text courtesy of Château de Courban.