Laurent Gras’ Butternut Squash Soup & Giveaway

  Chef Laurent Gras’ digital cookbook LAURENT GRAS: MY PROVENCE 

A digital cookbook that will not only share fantastic recipes with the reader, but will teach you how to be more organized in the kitchen, with techniques on everything from a Mimosa Salad to Burrata Ravioli. This book will take you on culinary travels that you can only experience in real life, but Chef Laurent has a way to convey and share with us that makes us believe we are there.  Below is his recipe for Butternut Squash Soup, a staple in our kitchen when the weather starts cooling down. What we loved the most was the addition of celeriac. It gave the soup a flavorful depth, normally not there. We did strain the soup halfway to make sure we had a smooth liquid. Be sure to enter the giveaway below to win your own copy! 

Laurent’s trajectory as a chef began in Antibes on the Côte d’Azur in France, where he was born and raised. Early in his career he worked with a remarkable group of great chefs including Jacques Maximin, Guy Savoy, Alain Ducasse, and Alain Senderens. He was named “Best New Chef” by Food & Wine Magazine and San Francisco Magazine and earned three Michelin starts in 2011 following his time at Chicago restaurant L2O. 

Laurent Gras’ Butternut Squash Soup & Giveaway

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• ? cup 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pound 450 g butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes
• ½ pound 200 g celery root, peeled and cut into ½-inch (1 cm) cubes
• Sea salt
• 1 quart 1 l chicken stock or water
• 5 tablespoons 100 g unsalted butter
• Tabasco

Instructions

• Set a saucepan over low heat and add the olive oil. Add the squash and celery root and season with sea salt. Cover the pot with the lid and let the vegetables cook until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring from time to time. The vegetables are usually done when all the natural juices have evaporated.
• In another saucepan, bring the chicken stock to a boil. Using an immersion or standing blender, blend the vegetables with the hot stock, adding just enough stock to achieve rich, creamy soup.
• Pour this mixture into a clean saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Whisk in the butter, season with salt and a dash or two of Tabasco, to taste.

Entry Methods (leave a comment for each action completed)

• Comment on what your favorite fall soup is!
• Follow @nella22 on Twitter and tweet the following: Enter to win a digital copy of Laurent Gras’  My Provence over at @nella22’s: http://bit.ly/UmEW5p
• Follow  Cooking with Books on Pinterest
• Follow Cooking with Books via Google Friend Connect

The comments are the official entry, there is no purchase necessary, void where prohibited. Open to international readers, as well as US and Canada. Two (2) winners will be chosen randomly. Prizes will be provided digitally by Alta Editions. The contest ends Sunday, September 30th, 2012 at 11:59 pm Eastern time. The winner will be announced on Monday, October 1st, via email and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. Disclaimer: I received a digital copy of My Provence and no other compensation. Opinions and photography are my own.