Alright, I am a bad girl.
I put off writing this post for so long that the leftovers had time to actually spoil. So in the interest of cutting one’s losses (as I seem to have done on three separate occasions this week, personally speaking) I’m going to post some pictures from Sunday’s event and the recipe for the soup and then move on to THIS week’s soupapolooza!
And let me just say that the rest of the menu (wild arugula salad with roasted beets, cabrales, toasted walnuts and dried cherries, and for dessert: maple vanilla roasted pears with greek yogurt sorbetto) was pretty spectacular, too...
So here are the soup details, lazy and all:
Carrot with Toasted Almond Soup
Gourmet | November 2006
The secret to this simple recipe is using the best carrots you can find; taste them to make sure they are sweet and full of flavor.
Yield: Makes 4 (first course) servings
Active Time: 25 min
Total Time: 45 min
ingredients:
1 cup sliced shallots (about 4 large)
1 Turkish or 1/2 California bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Rounded 3/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
1 small boiling potato (3 oz)
1 1/2 lb carrots, peeled and cut crosswise 1/4 inch thick
1 3/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth (14 fl oz)
1 cup apple cider (preferably unfiltered)
1 1/4 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
preparation:
Cook shallots, bay leaf, ginger, curry powder, and thyme in butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened and pale golden, 6 to 8 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel potato and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
Add potato to shallot mixture along with carrots, broth, cider, water, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until carrots are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Discard bay leaf.
Purée soup in 2 batches in a blender until smooth, transferring as blended to a large bowl (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return to saucepan to reheat if necessary. Serve soup sprinkled with almonds.
Cooks' notes:
•Soup can be made 2 days ahead and cooled completely, uncovered, then chilled, covered. Reheat over low heat. Thin with additional water if necessary.
•Almonds can be toasted 2 days ahead and cooled completely, then kept in an airtight container at room temperature.
I definitely added more curry (in fact, I easily doubled it) and put in less cider than called for-- and added cider vinegar. And as for potatoes, I used several fingerlings in place of a boiling potato to great result.
Soup on!!
