By The Greens at Greenwich    |    October 16, 2019

Warm up a crisp autumn day with this tasty Pumpkin Bisque Soup created by Chef Michael Sherman, Executive Chef at The Greens at Greenwich.  Our residents and staff enjoy delicious flavors every day from Chef Michael’s special recipes. Michael started cooking at a young age as his mother became ill and someone had to cook for the family. He confidently went to the kitchen, found the soup pan, chopped and put together the ingredients, turned on the stove and made a delicious French Onion Soup. His mother and sister loved it. And he knew he loved cooking! He was on his way……

Growing up in Westchester and raised in Scarsdale, his first job was as a bus boy at Edmondos, an Italian restaurant in Eastchester. When he was 15, a close family friend started a restaurant and gave Michael a job which opened the door to his career.  He did everything from washing the dishes to chopping parsley and in two years graduated to making salads as the “salad guy”. Ultimately, it was Michael’s grandfather who inspired him. He said, “Everything my grandfather made was like gold—I wanted to be like him and create the wonderful flavors and recipes everyone enjoyed.”

There was no question what Michael wanted to do when he graduated from high school and community college. He went to Florida Culinary Institute. With a Specialized Associate Chef’s Degree in Culinary Arts, Michael worked in high profile restaurants and country clubs in Palm Beach, NYC and Westchester before coming to The Greens at Greenwich in 2017 as the Executive Chef.  Chef Michael is more than the Chef, he provides hands on monthly programs for the residents. Programs have included everything from cookie rolling to blind tasting, sweet tasting, cooking demos, pumpkin carving and herb identification. Chef Michael and the residents planted a tomato, vegetable and herb garden this summer providing an enjoyable gardening activity and a tomato harvest as well as fresh herbs for meals.

Michael’s cooking philosophy is to bring together seasonal ingredients with a unique flair. Residents enjoy all types of cuisine—Eastern, Italian, Mediterranean, Asian, comfort and seasonal menus, all created with the specialized needs of each resident. He loves incorporating the traditional with a twist of something different.

Michael attended workshops to learn about dementia care and continues to participate in on-going seminars. It is important for him to understand the residents and their nutritional care. He is sure to have just the right aroma, texture and color on the plate.  Michael says, “The meal needs to be a sweet experience.”

Here are a few tasty autumn and Halloween recipes that Chef Michael likes:
• Orange themed desserts like Creamsicle Cake with Chocolate Fondant
• Pumpkin Crème Brule
• Chocolate Lava Cake with Sweetened Pumpkin Oil
• Fall Spiced Cappuccino
• Halloween Chicken Tender Fingers. Add a slivered almond to a chicken tender as fingernail and then sprinkle on ketchup for blood
• Traditional risotto with black squid served in a carved-out pumpkin

We hope you enjoy Chef Michael’s Pumpkin Bisque Soup recipe and inspiration. Look for more recipes in the months to come. Post photos of your version of Chef Michael’s Pumpkin Bisque Soup on our Facebook page.

Pumpkin Bisque
Created by Our Executive Chef, Michael Sherman

Ingredients
2-3 Sugar Pumpkins peeled

I Medium White Onion medium diced

2 Stalks of Celery medium diced

½ unsalted butter

1 Tablespoon Ground Cinnamon

½ Tablespoon Ground Nutmeg

Pinch of Curry Powder

2.5 Gallons of Vegetable Stock

Procedure
Melt butter in a 3 gallon soup pot

Add pumpkins, onions and celery

Cook until translucent stirring periodically

Add vegetable stock

Cook until pumpkin is soft. Approximately 45-60 minutes

Add all dry spices

Puree in Blender until smooth consistency
(For thicker consistency add ¾ cup corn starch mixed with 1 cup of cold water. Add to soup puree)

Season with Salt and Pepper to taste.

This will yield 10 servings