Butternut Squash Soup Shooters
Velvety roasted squash soup served in shot glasses - a warm sip of autumn
- 2 lbsbutternut squash(peeled, seeded, cubed)
- 1yellow onion(quartered)
- 4 clovesgarlic
- 3 tbspolive oil
- 4 cupschicken or vegetable broth
- 0.5 cupheavy cream
- 0.5 tspground nutmeg
- 1 tspkosher salt
- 0.25 tspwhite pepper
- crème fraîche(for garnish)
- pepitas(toasted, for garnish)
Soup can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently before serving. Garnish just before serving.
- 1Preheat oven to 400°F
- 2Toss squash, onion, and garlic with olive oil on rimmed baking sheet
- 3Roast until caramelized and tender, about 40 minutes, stirring once
- 4Transfer roasted vegetables to large pot, add broth
- 5Bring to simmer and cook 10 minutes
- 6Blend with immersion blender until completely smooth
- 7Stir in cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper
- 8Taste and adjust seasoning
- 9Ladle into shot glasses or espresso cups
- 10Garnish each with small dollop of crème fraîche and a few pepitas
Roasting is essential - it caramelizes the squash's sugars. For silkier texture, strain through fine-mesh sieve after blending. A touch of maple syrup can enhance sweetness if squash is bland. Keep shooters warm in a low oven until serving. Use a squeeze bottle for clean crème fraîche dots.
Butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) belongs to the family of cultivated squashes native to the Americas, with archaeological evidence of squash cultivation in Mesoamerica dating to approximately 8,000–10,000 years ago. Squash was one of the "Three Sisters" — the trio of corn, beans, and squash cultivated together in companion planting by Indigenous peoples throughout North America — a system that sustained civilizations from Mexico through the eastern seaboard. Squash was among the first plants grown by the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and other eastern woodland peoples, and its year-round preservation potential (winter squash can be stored for months without refrigeration) made it essential to Indigenous agricultural economies. The shooter format — soup served in a shot glass or espresso cup — emerged from American and European restaurant catering in the 1990s, allowing composed soups to be passed as hors d'oeuvres. Roasting butternut squash rather than boiling it before making soup is a technique that caramelizes the cut surfaces through the Maillard reaction, concentrating the squash's natural sweetness and adding a subtle toasted depth. Cream and apple cider vinegar are typical American additions, reflecting the New England tradition of pairing winter squash with dairy and apple.