Acorn Squash Soup with Roquefort Toast

Recipe from The Rivoli, Houston

Soup

8 small acorn squashes (about 31/2 inches in diameter, or 3/4 pound each), with stems

2 large acorn squashes (11/2 pound), or enough to equal 3 pounds of meat

2 medium onions, sliced

3 cups chicken stock

1 cup whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Salt and pepper to taste

optional garnish: 1 spoonful precooked lump crabmeat per serving

Slice tips off bottoms, approximately 1/2 inch, of small acorn squashes so they will sit flat. Cut off tops approximately 1/3 down from end, reserving tops for lids. Scoop out seeds and remove enough meat so that each squash will hold approximately 3/4 cup of soup. Reserve meat.

Peel, seed, and cut large acorn squashes into 2-inch chunks. (Note that this requires a certain amount of effort, as raw squash is quite firm.) Combine chunks with reserved meat, onions, and stock. Cook in covered saucepan over medium heat for 15 minutes. (For thinner soup, use more stock.) Remove from heat and pour into food processor, blending for 1 minute, or until smooth. Add cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill the 8 squash shells with water, place on cookie sheet, and bake for 15 minutes. Remove and pour water out of each shell.

Roquefort Toast

8 slices French bread, 1/4-inch thick (if loaf is small, allow 4 slices per person, or 32 in all)

1/4 pound Roquefort or blue cheese

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 cup olive oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Cut each slice of bread into 4 triangles (11/2 inches per side). Crumble cheese over bread. Sprinkle with walnuts and drizzle with olive oil. Bake about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bread is golden brown. Watch carefully; they burn easily.

To serve, pour soup into shells, sprinkle with nutmeg, and cover with lids. One attractive garnish is a spoonful of precooked lump crabmeat on top of soup. When guests lift the lids of squash bowls, they find the crabmeat inside as a surprise. Arrange toast attractively around each squash shell. Use 4 triangles of bread per squash. In the summer, this soup is particularly refreshing if served chilled, making a nice contrast to the warm Roquefort toast. Serves 8.