Autumn roasted vegetable soup with sharp cheddar-stout gougeres

Chef Teresa Urkofsky
American River College, Sacramento

Multiple textures in food add to our enjoyment, but they don't always occur in a soup. Chef Teresa Urkofsky offers an exception: This soup is satiny and the gougeres—cheese puffs—are crispy.

Ingredients

Sharp cheddar-stout gougeres
1/2 cup stout or dark beer
1/2 cup water
4 tbsp. salted butter
1 1/4 cups flour
3 large eggs
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Autumn roasted vegetable soup
3 cups peeled and chopped winter squash
1 cup peeled and chopped parsnips
1 cup peeled and chopped sweet potato
1/2 cup peeled and chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped leeks
6 garlic cloves, peeled
3 shallots, peeled and halved
Olive oil, as needed
Kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper, to taste
1 tbsp. lemon thyme leaves
2 tsp. chopped fresh sage
2 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
3 bay leaves
4 to 6 cups vegetable stock
4 tbsp. butter, softened

Directions

For gougeres: Preheat oven to 400 degrees and line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Place beer, water and butter in a medium saucepan and bring just to a boil. Turn off heat and immediately stir in flour. Stir over very low heat until mixture becomes a smooth ball. Remove pan from heat and add eggs, one at a time, stirring well between each addition. Stir in cheese. Place by tablespoonfuls on prepared pan, leaving at least 1 inch between each. Bake until puffed, 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees and continue to bake until dry, 20 to 30 minutes. Makes about 24.

For soup: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place vegetables in a large bowl. Toss in a small amount of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread vegetables onto 2 sheet pans and roast until al dente and starting to brown around the edges, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large soup pot over medium heat. Add thyme, sage, oregano and chili flakes. Stir constantly for 3 to 4 minutes. Add bay leaves and stock. Cook, covered, until vegetables are soft, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove bay leaves. Blend soup to a smooth consistency with a blender or immersion blender, adding more stock if it's too thick. Adjust salt and pepper. Swirl in butter. Float 2 to 3 gougeres in each bowl of soup just before serving.

Serves 12