I made a first version of Pumpkin/Macoun Soup earlier this month with some of my basic pumpkin soup that I had left over, simply adding some pureed Macouns to the soup and some chopped Macouns on top with other garnishes. This time I made it intentionally, using 5 Macouns in place of the potatoes in the basic recipe, and replacing half of the chicken stock with apple cider, and cutting out the egg yolk and sour cream. Also, instead of just using roasted pumpkin, this time I also used one-half of a roasted "Mashed Potato Squash" to get a bit of the potato taste and texture, since I took out the potatoes in the soup. Served cold, the result is a delicious, light soup with a much stronger apple taste than in the first version. Here's the bowl I had this morning, garnished with pepitas, dried cranberries, creme fraiche and a grind of nutmeg:
And here are another set of combinations from Saturday morning (clockwise from left, with creme fraiche, chopped toasted hazelnuts and dried cranberries, with goat cheese, chopped Macouns and toasted sliced almonds, and with creme fraiche, chopped toasted pistachios and chopped Macouns):
Also garnished each with a grind of nutmeg and a drizzle of honey.
Looks and sounds fab! Autumn in a bowl. Yum!
It looks and sounds delicious, so flavorful. Perhaps you could develop a winter/November version, a thicker, cream soup served hot? After all, pumpkins and apples (well, not Macouns) keep a long time…
Problem is that neither pumpkins nor Macouns store well, which is what makes them an October treat. But could do a robust hot version with acorn or butternut squash and another apple like Macintosh.