OMG guys, this is SOOO good!! I don't think you have to count the white wine in the carb count, because you boil it all away! And the celery, onion, saffron threads, sage and bay leaves are used for making the stock, then discarded.. so they don't count either. This recipe is from epicurious.com

PUMPKIN & SHRIMP BISQUE

Buttery, slightly sweet pumpkin is the perfect mate for the briny flavor of oysters, scallops, or other crustaceans. This soup is made with shrimp, whose shells are turned into an aromatic stock that serves as the soup's liquid. Classic shellfish bisques are thickened with rice, but here pumpkin provides body for the soup. Sage's earthy flavor complements both pumpkin and shrimp and steers the focus of flavor from sweet to savory.

This is a satisfying soup to prepare throughout the fall. If you serve it as a first course for Thanksgiving dinner, you might start a tradition in your family.

1 pound large shrimp (16 to 20)

Shrimp Stock
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine
3 cups homemade or canned low-sodium chicken stock
Pinch saffron threads (about 24)
2 ribs celery, coarsely chopped
1 medium onion (about 8 ounces), coarsely chopped
4 fresh bay laurel leaves, torn, or 2 dried
3 3-inch springs fresh sage

2 cups pumpkin purée, fresh (see Note) or canned
1/2 cup heavy cream
About 3/4 teaspoon salt, less if using canned stock
Scant 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage

1. Shrimp stock: Peel and devein shrimp, reserving the shells. Cover the shrimp and refrigerate. Heat the olive oil in a medium (3-quart) heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat until it begins to smoke. Add the shrimp shells to the pan and cook, stirring constantly, until they turn deep orange and are just beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. This step—pan roasting the shells—gives the stock much of its flavor, so take the time to do it carefully. The roasted shells should release a concentrated, toasty, shrimp aroma that will fill your kitchen. Add the wine to the pan, first turning off gas flames to prevent the alcohol from igniting, then boil it over medium heat until all the liquid is evaporated. Add the chicken stock, saffron, celery, onion, bay leaves, and sage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Partially cover the pan and simmer gently for 30 minutes. Strain the stock through a fine sieve, pushing down on the solids with the back of a spoon to extract all the liquid. Rinse out the saucepan and pour the stock back into it.

2. Soup: Whisk the pumpkin, cream, salt (omit if using canned stock), and cayenne into the shrimp stock. Bring the soup to a simmer, then cook very gently uncovered over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice, taste, and season with black pepper and more salt if needed. (The soup can be made up to this point up to 1 day ahead store covered in the refrigerator. Keep the peeled shrimp in a resealable bag buried in a bowl of ice in the refrigerator.)

3. Finishing the soup: Pour the olive oil into a large sauté pan placed over medium heat. When hot, add the reserved shrimp and sage and cook, tossing often, until the shrimp is just cooked through, pink, and no longer translucent, but not curled into a circle, 2 to 3 minutes. They should still have a tender snap when you bite into them. Arrange the shrimp in warmed serving bowls or a tureen. Bring the soup back to a simmer and then ladle it over the shrimp. Serve right away.

Note
To make fresh pumpkin purée, cut a sugar pumpkin in half and scrape out the seeds. Place it cut side down in a baking dish and pour in about 1/4 inch of hot water. Bake it in a 400°F oven until the flesh is tender, 40 to 50 minutes. Turn the pumpkin halves cut side up to cool. Scoop the pumpkin flesh from the skin and purée it in a food processor until smooth. Transfer the purée to a large sieve lined with a double layer of cheesecloth and let it drain for 2-3 hours until it is firm enough to hold its shape on a spoon.

Makes 8 servings.

_reviews
A Cook from Seattle, WA on 01/01/03 _
This is AWESOME!!! I will definately make this a Thanksgiving or Christmas tradition. I used canned pumpkin, since fresh was not available, next time I'd like to try fresh. I also used canned broth as a time saver...it is really pretty simple.

A Cook from Behind the Orange Curtain, CA on 12/19/02 _
This goes into my "oh, mercy" pile for soup recipes. The Herbfarm cookbook is one of my favorites, and everything I've made from it is outstanding. This is just perfect. All of his recipes are really well-written. It's so easy to roast up a sugar pumpkin, and the color and texture are so much more vibrant than anything out of a Libby's can! Definitely get shrimp in the shells; the stock won't be the same without them.

A Cook from Ashburn, VA on 12/06/02 _
I was looking for something different to try for Thanksgiving. After reading the great reviews and the recipe, it sounded like a winner. I was the only one who even liked it, everyone else pushed it away. I think I followed the directions, with the exception of adding cayenne. Lot of work, for little enjoyment.

A Cook from Boston, MA on 12/04/02 _
UNBELIEVABLE RECIPE!! I made this bisque as the first course for Thanksgiving and everyone LOVED it. My husband (who can be a somewhat finicky eater) raved about it for *days*. And, my mother-in-law (who always gives her honest opinion--like it or not) said she would make this a tradition every year. I almost passed up on buying the saffron for this dish, as I was shocked by the price ($16.99!), but surprising I found it in the organic section of my grocery store for half the cost. It did give it a really nice flavor. And, I used canned pumpkin...don't know if fresh would have been better...but to me it was worth the timesavings and the dish was just wonderful.

A Cook on 12/03/02 _
great... make sure you don't use too much cayenne though. Fresh stock and making the shrimp stock make all the difference.




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these counts do not count the following ingredients since they are made into stock and then discarded: celery, onion, saffron threads, 3 springs of sage (I counted the amount cooked with shrimp) and bay leaves and white wine (boiled down till dry, deglazed with chicken stock)

whole batch:
calories: 1281
Fat: 103
Sat: 36
Poly: 7
Mono: 53
Carbs: 50
Fiber: 18
Protein: 47

one serving (1/8)
calories: 160
Fat: 13
Sat: 4.5
Poly: 1
Mono: 7
Carbs: 6
Fiber: 2
Protein: 6