Fry

Pumpkin Beer and Goat Cheese Soup

by:
September 24, 2013
4.7
3 Ratings
Pumpkin Beer and Goat Cheese Soup
Photo by James Ransom
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

This recipe is inspired by a soup we had at the Dogfish Head brewery at the end of one late summer trip to Dewey Beach in Delaware. We were so impressed by the soup we spent the rest of the fall trying to figure out the recipe (plus finding different toppings, adding sweet potatoes or squash, and experimenting with different beers). While the additional toppings and autumnal vegetables were very successful, we found that our best soups always used Dogfish Head Punkin Ale. Although we might have reached that conclusion because we enjoyed drinking it so much while we were cooking... —Fancy and Casual

Test Kitchen Notes

You can't get more autumnal than pumpkin soup. Fancy and Casual has put a sophisticated spin on it by adding Punkin Ale to the soup, then mixing in goat cheese, toasted pepitas, and sage oil. The mildly bitter flavor of the Punkin Ale works well with the slightly sweet soup and the creamy, tangy cheese. If the soup seems a little too bitter, a spoonful of sugar can round it out. The pepitas add welcome texture and a nutty flavor, and the sage oil adds a hint of earth and herb. If you're a fan of sage you may want to double the amount used so you can have more than one of the fried leaves in your soup. —hardlikearmour

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • For the Soup
  • 1 sugar pie pumpkin
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 Dogfish Head Punkin Ale (or other Pumpkin Ale)
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 1 pinch pepper
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar (optional)
  • For the Toppings
  • 1 handful pepitas
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 sage leaves
  • 1 small log goat cheese
Directions
  1. Preheat your oven to 425° F. Quarter and seed pumpkin. Place on baking tray, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and season with salt. Roast pumpkin in the oven until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool, then remove the skin.
  2. Heat butter and remaining olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Dice onion and garlic, then sauté until tender.
  3. Add roasted pumpkin, nutmeg, and cinnamon to the pan. Stir to combine flavors, then pour in beer. Increase heat and allow at least half the beer to burn off. Once the beer has burned off, lower the heat and add in vegetable stock. Allow the soup to simmer for 10 to 20 minutes.
  4. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until it's smooth (if you like a thinner soup, you can add some more vegetable stock). Add salt and pepper to taste. If the soup is a little bitter, add in sugar. Leave soup on a low heat while you prepare the toppings.
  5. In a frying pan, toast the pepitas until they are crunchy and delicious. Remove from pan and set aside.
  6. Heat the olive oil in the frying pan. Once the oil is hot, drop in the sage leaves and fry until they are crispy but still green. Remove pan from the heat.
  7. Cut the goat cheese log into 3/4-inch chunks. Divide the soup into bowls and place a goat cheese chunk in the center. Drizzle the sage oil over the soup and sprinkle the pepitas on top of the cheese. Garnish the dish with a fried sage leaf.
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  • Matthew Boettcher
    Matthew Boettcher
  • healthierkitchen
    healthierkitchen
  • Fancy and Casual
    Fancy and Casual
  • Joelle Bradley
    Joelle Bradley

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11 Reviews

Matthew B.
Matthew B. November 22, 2017
I just made this and it was delicious. I made a couple of small changes. I used a maple ale (because I couldn't find pumpkin), I pureed the goat cheese into the soup, and I sweetened it with maple syrup instead of brown sugar.
 
Emily
Emily November 21, 2016
This soup is simultaneously flavorful and comforting! Instead of a pumpkin ale, I used a Sam Adams Winter Lager since that is what I had on hand. The soup was initially bitter, but I cut through the bitterness with the recommended brown sugar, a tablespoon of maple syrup, and two tablespoons of plain yogurt. I imagine a little heavy cream would do the same.

Thank you, Food52, for all of your delicious recipes!
 
Natalie R.
Natalie R. October 16, 2016
Wow! This soup is incredible! It's filling and balanced, and I found that it was a perfect main dish. I used Whole Hog Pumpkin Ale (a sweet ale), caramelized the onions a bit, used my homemade vegetable broth (which is slightly sweet from winter squash trimmings), and used an equivalent amount of Cheese Pumpkin (considered a more flavorful/sweeter version of a pie pumpkin with redder flesh), so mine wasn't at all bitter. I toasted just enough pepitas for one serving since I wanted to freshly toast them every time I ate it. Since there was plenty of room in the pan, I brushed the sage leaf with oil and "fried" it at the same time. Much less oil, but it came out crisp and just like the picture. I recommend that technique for small batch fried sage leaves! I served it all with freshly baked seeded sourdough rye bread. Thank you again!
 
Amy
Amy October 19, 2014
Would it be possible to add an actual amount of pumpkin to the recipe? I'm not certain I have a "sugar pie" pumpkin and am not sure if I have the right amount, too much or need more!
 
Fancy A.
Fancy A. October 19, 2014
Hi Amy,

Sugar pie pumpkins are on the smaller size (think something you could hold easily in two hands), and are the kind of pumpkin that are most commonly used in cooking. I'd estimate that you want between 3-4 cups of roasted pumpkin flesh for the soup ... this will depend on how thick or thin you would like the final puree to be. When in doubt start with a smaller amount and add more if after you blend it's looking too thin!
 
Amy
Amy October 19, 2014
Thank you for responding!
 
Dana M.
Dana M. October 15, 2013
I made this and the taste of cinnamon was so bitter and not great. What did I do wrong?!
 
Fancy A.
Fancy A. October 15, 2013
This sometimes happens to us too. The bitterness comes from the beer (which is made with cinnamon), try using slightly less and letting it simmer a little longer. If the bitterness is still there throw in a teaspoon of brown sugar or honey!
 
Joelle B.
Joelle B. November 12, 2021
Mine was bitter. I used 2 cans of pumpkin beer. Likely I am to blame
 
healthierkitchen
healthierkitchen September 25, 2013
This sounds both delicious and easy, and, this is the second item I've ready today that included this ale. I will have to get some and try this soup!
 
Fancy A.
Fancy A. October 16, 2013
It's one of our favorite fall soups, hope you get a chance to make it!