Brown Butter Pumpkin Soup With Sherry Gastrique

Another of "Top Chef" winner Stephanie Izard's genius recipes; posting this here so I don't lose it!! Her comments: Pumpkin is a great winter squash for soups. By adding in the brown butter, it brings a nutty richness that is then cut through and balanced by the gastrique.

• Ready In: 2 hrs 15 mins
• Serves: 6
• Yields: 6 bowls

Ingredients

• 2  sugar pumpkin (sweet variety of small pumpkins, about 1.5-2 pounds each)
• 2  tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  onion, diced small
• 2  garlic cloves, sliced
• 1  apple, peeled, cored and diced small
• 1  fennel bulb, diced small
• 1⁄2 cup white wine
• 2 1⁄2 cups water
• 4 -6  cups chicken broth (use vegetable broth for a vegetarian version)
• 8  tablespoons unsalted butter (one stick)
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper

• Sherry Gastrique

• 1  cup sherry wine vinegar
• 1⁄3 cup sugar
• 1  sprig thyme
• 1  teaspoon black peppercorns

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F and set two racks evenly apart. Cut each pumpkin in half horizontally, scoop out the seeds and put them in a small mixing bowl. Scrape out most of the stringy pulp from the pumpkin and discard. . Spread 1/2 teaspoon of butter inside each pumpkin half and then season them with salt and pepper. Place the pumpkin halves cut side-down in a baking dish large enough to hold all four (divide them between two baking dishes if they don’t fit in one). Add enough of the water to go ½ inch up each pumpkin half.
2. Toss the pumpkin seeds with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and spread them out on a baking sheet. Transfer the pumpkins and the seeds to the oven. Bake the seeds on the bottom rack for 15 minutes, or until they begin to brown. Remove from the oven, season with salt and set aside.
3. Put the pumpkins on the top rack in the oven and bake them for about 45 minutes, or until the skins turn a deep orange and the flesh is tender. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool. When the pumpkins are cool enough to handle, scoop out the flesh and discard the skins. Reserve the pumpkin flesh and baking liquid.
4. Heat a Dutch oven or large heavy bottomed saucepot over medium-low heat and add 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and sweat for 5 minutes. Add the apple and fennel, season with salt and pepper, and sweat for 15 minutes more. Add the white wine and simmer to reduce almost all of the liquid. Add four cups of chicken stock, reserved liquid and the pumpkin flesh. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for an 1 1/2 hours.
5. Puree soup with immersion blender. Serve drizzled with gastrique.