Butternut Squash & Granny Smith Apple Soup

Hello winter? What happened to fall?

On Saturday I woke up to a snowstorm and the only thing I could think of was soup. 

Aside from being delicious, it's a great excuse to turn on the oven for some extra warmth. 

This soup was so satisfying- it warmed me up, tasted great and seemed kind of healthy too. 

The apples make it kind of tart, and a little sweet, while the squash gave it an earthy, creamy note. It's also super easy to make, and you can swap other types of root veggies, or squash and use the same basic recipe.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH GRANNY SMITH APPLE SOUP

Toss together 1 butternut squash (chopped) + 2 Granny Smith apples (chopped) + 2 tbsp olive oil + 2 tablespoons honey, add a pinch of sea salt and some thyme or other fresh herbs.  Throw it all on a baking pan and roast at 425 for about 30 minutes. Once the roasted squash and apples have cooled, puree them in a food processor until smooth. Put the puree in a big soup pan over medium heat and whisk in 3 cups chicken stock, then whisk in about 1 tbsp heavy cream.  Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let simmer over low heat until ready to serve. Easy peasy and even tastier with a few pecans thrown on top.

Mexican Food in Paris: Cooking with the Cowgirl Chef

Surely no one comes to France for Mexican food- in fact it's very difficult to find the ingredients you need to make it. That's what Ellise, aka the Cowgirl Chef found when she moved to Paris from Texas five years ago- her attempts to combat homesickness led to some hilarious stories and incredible recipes which are to be published soon in the forthcoming Cowgirl Chef Cookbook: Cooking in Paris with a Texas Accent.

I felt quite lucky to spend the last week of my time in France at work, on location, in Paris to direct the photo shoot for the cookbook. It was great to spend lots of time with Ellise, cooking and shooting at her home with brilliant photographer Steve Legato, and to see a little bit of Paris too. 

Ellise's book, like her blog, cowgirlchef.com is filled with funny stories and truly delicious recipes. It was a delight to spend the week with her and sample her food. 

 

You can read Ellise's post on the shoot here: 

http://cowgirlchef.com/2011/10/13/behind-the-scenes-cookbook-photo-shoot/

All of the photos on this post were taken by and copyright of Steve Legato. Enjoy.

J'aime Hipstamatic

French Holiday

Some photos from a week in the Dordogne region of France, an unbelievably magical corner of the world. Ridiculously beautiful, and made even better by the company of some of my best and oldest friends. 

We stayed in a lovely little house outside of the exquisitely charming town of Sarlat, in Perigord Noir. The area is famous for its foie gras and truffles. The town has a great market twice a week bursting with all sorts of local produce, honey, oils, breads, cheeses, olives and sausages. Not to mention the wine...