Winter Squash, Apple and Pecan Soup

24 ounces frozen pureed winter squash (butternut); defrosted
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup light cream
1½ cups chicken stock
¼ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Meal; toasted
2 teaspoons dried chervil; crumbled
½ teaspoon ground mace
Sea salt
White pepper
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces; toasted for garnish

1. Combine all the ingredients except the toasted pecans to be used for garnish in a large saucepan and stir to blend well.
2. Cook the soup over medium heat until warmed through, about 6 to 8 minutes.
3. Ladle the soup into bowls and add a few toasted chopped pecan pieces in the center.

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Cajun Yam Pecan Bisque

1 bunch green onions, finely chopped reserve half of tops
2 tablespoons pecan oil
2 tablespoons Cajun Blackened Seasoning
1 pounds yams, peeled and chopped
1½ quart chicken stock
Sea salt
½ cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces; ground or Pecan Valley Pecan Meal

1. Sauté green onions briefly in oil in a soup pot. Add Cajun seasonings and sauté 30 seconds longer to bring up flavors. Stir in yams and stock. Add a little sea salt.
2. Cook until yams are soft enough to puree. Puree into a smooth soup. Stir in ground roasted pecans. Season with sea salt to taste.
3. Just before serving, stir in reserved green onion tops.

Cream of Pecan Soup

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup onion, diced
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 cups broth (or 2 cups water and 1 vegetable bouillon cube)
½ teaspoon soy sauce
½ teaspoon vegetable seasoning
1 dash nutmeg
1 cup Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces; ground fine
½ cup celery leaves
1½ cups cream or half-and-half
4 sprigs mint

1. Melt butter; add onion and sauté 5 minutes.
2. Stir in flour and broth. Add seasonings soy sauce, vegetable seasoning, nutmeg, pecans, and celery leaves; simmer 10 minutes.
3. Stir in cream and simmer 5 minutes longer. Serve with mint.

Pecan Soup

6 ounces Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
1 large garlic clove
4 cups chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. On a baking sheet, toast the pecans for 10 to15 minutes, checking from time to time to prevent burning. Toss occasionally.
3. In a food processor, place the pecans, garlic and about ½ cup of the stock. Turn the processor on and, with the motor running, add stock until you have a creamy consistency. The mixture will absorb the stock.
4. Pass the pecan-stock mixture through a sieve into a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the cream, season to taste with sea salt and pepper and serve.

Sweet Potato Soup with Buttered Pecans

¾ cups finely chopped onion
1 cup finely chopped leek; washed well and drained
2 large garlic cloves; minced
3 large carrots; sliced thin
1 bay leaf
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds sweet potatoes
1 russet baking potato
5 cups chicken broth; plus additional for thinning the soup
¾ cups dry white wine
1½ cups water
¾ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Crème fraîche or sour cream

1. Make the soup in a kettle cook the onion, the leek, the garlic, and the carrots with the bay leaf and sea salt and pepper to taste in the butter over moderate heat, stirring, until the vegetables are softened.
2. Add the sweet potatoes, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced thin, the russet potato, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced thin, the 5 cups broth, the wine, and the water, simmer the mixture, covered for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are very tender, and discard the bay leaf.
3. In a blender puree the mixture in batches until it is very smooth, transferring it as it is puréed to a large saucepan, add the additional broth to thin the soup to the desired consistency, and season the soup with sea salt and pepper. The soup may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated.
4. Make the buttered pecans in a skillet cook the pecans in the butter with sea salt to taste over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, or until they are golden brown, and transfer them to paper towels to drain. The pecans may be made 2 days in advance and kept in an airtight container or a re-sealable plastic bag.
5. Divide the soup among bowls and top each serving with a dollop of the crème fraîche and some of the buttered pecans.

Makes about 11 cups, serving eight to ten

Toasted Pecan Soup

2¼ cups Pecan Valley Pecan Pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
¼ cup chopped shallot
1 cup leek; chopped white portion only
½ cup chopped fennel bulb or celery
¼ cup light brown sugar; firmly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
6 cups chicken broth; low salt canned
Sea salt
White pepper
¾ cups whipping cream
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons bourbon or sherry

1. Spread the pecans in an ovenproof pan and toast in the oven, stirring frequently, until lightly browned and fragrant, about 15 minutes. Chop coarsely and set aside.
2. In a soup pot, melt the butter over low heat. Add the shallot, leek, and fennel or celery and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add 2 cups of the toasted pecans (reserve the rest for garnish), brown sugar, cinnamon, thyme, and bay leaf and cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring almost to a boil over medium heat. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the pecans are very tender, about 2 hours. Discard the bay leaf.
3. Working in batches, if necessary, transfers the soup to a food processor or blender and puree until smooth. Pour the soup into a clean pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, stir in the cream, Worcestershire, and bourbon or sherry and simmer until the alcohol is evaporated about 2 minutes.
4. To serve hot, ladle into preheated soup bowls and garnish with the reserved toasted pecans.
5. Alternatively, pour into a container and refrigerate, uncovered, until cool, then tightly cover and store for up to 3 days. Slowly reheat before garnishing and serving; do not boil. to serve cold, pour into a container and refrigerate, uncovered, until cool, then tightly cover and chill for at least 2 hours or as long as 3 days. Remove from the refrigerator about 25 minutes before serving. Ladle into chilled bowls and garnish.

Serves 6 to 8 as a soup course, or 3 or 4 as a main dish