Pumpkin Soup

I lived in Germany from 2004- 2006. Tucked away in a tiny insignificant village is a farm that is also a restaurant, called Straussi Funfschilling. During the fall and spring you can have such delicious dishes using the ingredients that they grew on their farm.

One lovely fall day, I went with some friends to Funfschilling for my first visit. One of the girls I was with went on and on about how great the Pumpkin Soup was. Soup sounded good and I guess I was feeling a bit adventurous because I ordered the soup even though my love for squash was a bit limited at the time. The soup arrived with a beautiful goldenrod hue, served in an individual tureen, with a wallop of cream in the middle. They served the soup with some rosemary garlic bread. 4 stars on presentation. As for the taste, Oh.My.Goodness...it was the best soup I tasted in a long while. I could have ate and ate and ate and ate....

Since then and since returning home, I have thought and dreamed and longed for Funfschilling's Pumpkin Soup. Last fall, I decided to try making my own. I made two batches, both of which weren't bad but weren't great. I had a bowl of both and dumped the rest. This fall, I resolved to find the perfect pumpkin soup recipe and began scouring online, finding three that sounded like potential. I decided to make one this past Saturday: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Soup/Detail.aspx. This is a basic recipe. I followed the recipe, more or less. I substituted curry for the thyme and parsley and added a dash of cinnamon.

My verdict: This recipe is good. Very good. I found myself closing my eyes with each bite, savoring the yummy goodness. It's not very pumpkin-y, thanks to the chicken broth and onion. It is more savory...more like I remember Funfschilling's being. I added a spoonful of sour cream instead of the heavy cream...that was good but I think using heavy cream or half/half might add to the soup in a different way.

I'm still planning on trying recipe 2 and 3 but this one will be enjoyed! Overall, I give it 4 out of 5 stars! Guten appetit!