Mixed Review: Maggie & Mary's Creamy Pumpkin Soup
"Pumpkin pie in soup form? Should I sprinkle it with graham cracker crumbs instead of croutons?"
[Photographs: Lucy Baker]
Forget candy corn, fun-size Snickers bars, and caramel apples. What I really look forward to every October is the pumpkin. As soon as the leaves start turning, it seems like every coffee shop, craft brewery, and gourmet purveyor goes gourd-happy, offering up everything from lattes and ales to bundt cakes and whoopie pies flavored with the sunset-hued squash. Happily, for the next month I will be reviewing a host of festive foods that are easy to prepare at home using the season's best pumpkin mixes.
Maggie & Mary's, a Minnesota-based specialty food company, has an inviting website, dotted with black-and-white snapshots of babies eating cake and smiling employees outfitted for various holidays. It's the sort of site where you want to click and buy whatever it has to offer, which happens to be a line of mixes including beverages, dips, cheeseballs, and soups with names like "Chocolate Snowman Freezie" and "Chill-Chasin' Chili." While just about everything sounded comforting and delicious (pot roast soup!), I restrained myself and ordered only the Creamy Pumpkin Soup, available seasonally until supplies last.
According to a note from Maggie and Mary, while developing the recipe for their mix they looked at two different versions of pumpkin soup. The first was savory, flavored with peppers and other vegetables. The second had a subtle sweetness and employed the ingredients traditionally found in pumpkin pie. The latter was the most popular among testers, and so the mix contains hints of warm baking spices. I was intrigued. Pumpkin pie in soup form? Should I sprinkle it with graham cracker crumbs instead of croutons? Swirl it with whipped cream instead of sour cream?
To prepare the soup, you just need to whisk the mix with 4 cups of water in a large saucepot and simmer it—being careful not to boil—for 30 to 40 minutes. The color of the soup was paler than I expected—more like cantaloupe than carrot. As it heated, it thickened to the consistency of a medium-bodied bisque. Though not quite as hearty as a chowder, it's definitely richer than standard versions of cream of tomato.
After only 25 minutes over the lowest heat possible, the soup was about to start bubbling, so I pulled it off the stove and ladled myself a big bowl. The flavor was delicate, creamy, and redolent of fall. I could taste the toasty baking spices, but they didn't overwhelm the soup's savory base. Milder than typical versions of butternut squash soup—which are commonly laced with curry, ginger, and other assertive ingredients—Maggie & Mary's Creamy Pumpkin Soup would pair perfectly with a spinach and Roquefort salad. It would also make an ideal first course at any holiday meal.
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