Recipes Pumpkin Soup with Creole Lobster 4.0 (33) Add your rating & review Most Thanksgivings include pumpkin in some guise. The Rushings' version is a pumpkin soup topped with lobster bathed in a spicy butter. The natural brininess of the lobster helps bring out all the deep, earthy flavor in the soup. Warming Soup Recipes By Allison Vines-Rushing Allison Vines-Rushing Allison Vines-Rushing is a James Beard Award-winning chef who is celebrated for her French-inspired interpretation of modern Southern and New Orleans cuisine. She has been featured in The New York Times, New York Observer, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, and Art Culinaire. Allison opened the critically acclaimed New Orleans restaurant MiLa and co-authored the cookbook Southern Comfort: A New Take on Recipes We Grew Up With (2012).Experience: Allison Vines-Rushing's experience externing at New Orleans institution Brennan's and Gerard's Downtown offered her the opportunity to explore her Southern roots. She furthered her classical French training at Picholine and the venerable Alain Ducasse in New York City. Allison garnered accolades for applying those French techniques to her modern interpretation of New Orleans cuisine at Jack's. After winning the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef in 2004, she returned to the South with her husband, chef Slade Rushing, to open Longbranch in 2005, followed by the critically acclaimed MiLa at the Renaissance Pere Marquette hotel in 2007. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, New York Observer, Gourmet, The Times-Picayune, Bon Appetit, and Art Culinaire, among others. Most recently, Allison was imparting her knowledge and expertise teaching at the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute.Education: Allison earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Florida State University and attended the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines and Slade Rushing Updated on January 3, 2020 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email This year, we’re making Halloween lobster a thing. This version of pumpkin soup is topped with lobster bathed in a flavorful, spicy butter. The natural brininess of the lobster helps bring out all the deep, earthy flavor in the soup. Are you on board with the Halloween lobster thing yet?. Photo: © Petrina Tinslay Active Time: 1 hrs 15 mins Total Time: 2 hrs 45 mins Yield: 10 Ingredients 4 sugar pumpkins or 2 medium butternut squash (about 5 pounds total), halved and seeded 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper Five 1-pound lobsters 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter 1 large white onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves 1 thyme sprig 1 rosemary sprig 1 bay leaf 1 cup medium-dry white wine 1/2 cup crème fraîche 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 teaspoon dry mustard 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves Directions Preheat the oven to 350°. Drizzle the pumpkin halves with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap each half tightly in foil and bake on a large cookie sheet for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until tender. Let cool slightly, then scoop the pumpkin flesh into a bowl. Meanwhile, bring a stockpot of water to a boil. Prepare a large bowl of ice water. Salt the boiling water and add the lobsters. Cover and cook over high heat for 3 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the lobsters to the ice water and let cool. Twist off the heads and reserve. Crack the claws and remove the meat in 1 piece. Using a heavy knife, halve the lobster tails lengthwise, cutting through the meat and the shells. Remove the dark intestinal veins from the tails. Transfer the lobster tails and the claw meat to a large baking sheet; refrigerate. Clean out the lobster heads with a spoon and return the shells to the stockpot. Simmer the shells for 30 minutes, skimming frequently. Strain the lobster stock through a fine sieve and reserve 8 cups. In a soup pot, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 8 minutes. Add the cooked pumpkin and the wine and simmer until the wine has reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add 6 cups of the lobster stock and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove and discard the herb sprigs and bay leaf. In a food processor or blender, puree the soup with the crème fraîche. Return it to a clean pot. Add enough of the remaining 2 cups of lobster stock to make the soup velvety; season with salt and pepper. Mix 1 tablespoon of kosher salt with 2 teaspoons of pepper and the garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, dry mustard, cumin, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. 7. In a very large skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the lobster tails, cut sides down, and cook over high heat until the shells begins to brown, 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderate, turn the tails and add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and the spice mixture. Cook the tails for 2 minutes, basting them with the spice butter. Transfer the tails to a plate and remove the meat from the shells. Add the lobster claws to the skillet and baste with the spice butter, 2 minutes per side. Add the claws to the tails on the plate. Bring the soup to a simmer. Ladle into warmed bowls and garnish each serving with a lobster tail half and a claw. Make Ahead The soup and lobster can be prepared through Step 6 and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Rate it Print