There is nothing more enjoyable than sharing your home with friends and family, especially during the holiday season.  Recently I hosted a “Girl’s Night In” for three of my dearest friends.  It was a wonderfully relaxing evening, just perfect before the chaos of Christmas season begins.  These are the evenings that are filled with the most memories as we have time to actually sit and talk without children interrupting or husbands needing our attention.  Better yet, these are the nights that we can actually feel smart again because our teenagers aren’t hanging around making us feel absolutely stupid!

As mothers, these night are rare and truly a treasured event!

As I planned the evening, I wanted to serve several courses, but didn’t want everyone full before serving the main course.  I set a full table, complete with individual soup tureens for pumpkin bisque, but worried about too much filler, or since I was trying something new, serving large bowls of something my guests may not like.

These cute little mini-tulip jars were the perfect size for a taste of this creamy and unique soup!  If the ladies enjoyed it, they were most definitely welcome to enjoy more, even a bowlful, but by offering a taste, those who didn’t care for  it didn’t have to feel awkward because they were trying not to offend the hostess.

Now I like curry in small amounts.  It’s not my favorite spice by any means, but it truly adds an interesting flavor to pumpkin.  I first tried this curried pumpkin bisque a couple of months ago at the Junior League of Chattanooga’s entertaining demo, and couldn’t wait to fix it for friends.

Naturally I changed the recipe up a little, because I could, but it turned out really good.  Only one of my guests didn’t like it; the other two were surprised at the flavor.  I always say, don’t just a book by its cover!

Curried Pumpkin Bisque

2 tablespoons butter
1/4 finely minced shallots
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup sweetened applesauce
3 teaspoons sugar
Heavy cream to taste

Melt the butter in a large stockpot.  Add the onion, garlic, curry powder, and cumin, mixing well.  The mixture will thicken up.

Stir in the broth, pumpkin, applesauce and sugar.  Bring to a boil, stirring to prevent sticking.  Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until the consistency you prefer your bisque is reached.  Ladle into bowls or cups and sail in a splash of cream.

You can make this a day ahead and cooked for about 10 minutes.  The next day heat to desired consistency and serve.  If it is too thick, just add a splash of chicken broth to thin it down a little.

I used fresh pumpkin and homemade chicken broth for my bisque which greatly enhanced the flavor.  With the addition of a little extra sugar, it adds a perfect amount of sweetness to the pumpkin.

It’s still two days until Thanksgiving, so it you have time; add a taste of something new to your menu!