Mesa Grills Pumpkin Soup With Mexican Cinnamon Creme Fraiche And Toasted Pumpkin Seeds With Spinach Pear And Pancetta Salad Recipes

Steps:

• Heat butter in a medium stockpot over medium heat.
• Add the onions, garlic, carrots and celery and cook until soft.
• Add the water and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Strain the stock into a clean medium saucepan and whisk in the pumpkin puree until smooth.
• Bring to a simmer and add 1/4 Teaspoon cinnamon, spices, honey and chipotle.
• Cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Add water, if the soup is too thick.
• Remove from the heat and whisk in 1/4 cup of the creme fraiche and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Mix together the remaining creme fraiche and remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon until combined.
• Garnish with the cinnamon creme fraiche and a handful of pumpkin seeds.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper.
• Add the hazelnuts to a large soup pot over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the hazelnuts to a small bowl and reserve the pot.
• For the hazelnut frico: Sprinkle the cheese into 8 thin rounds, about 2-inches wide on the prepared baking sheet. Finely grind the toasted hazelnuts in a food processor, and evenly sprinkle over cheese rounds. Evenly drizzle the rounds with a small amount of olive oil. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• Add the butter to the pot the hazelnuts were toasted in over medium heat, and cook, whisking frequently, until the butter starts to brown and foam, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the onion, carrot, celery, sage, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, and cook until tender, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in the garlic and cook an additional minute.
• Stir together the half-and-half and cornstarch in a liquid measuring cup, and pour it into the pot, along with the chicken broth, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. When the soup starts to thicken reduce the heat to low. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until a smooth consistency is reached and simmer until ready to serve. Ladle the soup into serving bowls and float a frico over the top.

Steps:

• Saute pancetta or bacon in skillet over medium heat until crisp.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Pour all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings out.
• Add shallots and cook until soft.
• Add vinegar, mustard and thyme, whisk to blend.
• Add oil and whisk to blend.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Keep warm.
• Combine spinach, pears, red onion and pancetta in a large bowl.
• Toss with enough dressing to coat.

Steps:

• Whisk first 3 ingredients in small bowl. Cover; chill 2 hours. (Mexican cream can be made 1 week ahead. Keep chilled.)
• Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 10 minutes. Mix in pumpkin, milk and crushed red pepper. Working in batches, puree mixture in processor. Return to pot. Add broth; simmer 10 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool. Cover and chill. Bring to simmer before continuing.)
• Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with cream. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.

Steps:

• Make soup:
• In large saucepan over moderately high heat, melt butter. Add shallots and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in squash and stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until soup thickens, about 30 minutes.
• While soup simmers, make pumpkin seeds:
• In small skillet over moderately high heat, heat oil. Add pumpkin seeds and cook, stirring constantly, until seeds begin to pop, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in cumin and cayenne pepper and continue to cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Transfer to bowl and season with generous pinch of kosher or coarse sea salt.
• Finish and serve:
• When soup has thickened, remove from heat and stir in lime zest and juice. Season with kosher or fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Ladle into bowls, garnish with pumpkin seeds, and serve.