A Simple Cream of Carrot Soup

So, in typical French fashion, I like to be very seasonal in the ingredients that I buy. During the summer I enjoyed the strawberries and asparagus, then the peaches and tomatoes, and now, along with apples and pears, root vegetables are starting to pop up, at amazing prices too. So how could I resist buying copious amounts of carrots, beets and potatoes. I ended up buying 30 pounds of vegetables for under six dollars! 

So, needless to say, I need to get busy and make some great things with these vegetables. They are taking up so much space that I didn't even try to put them away. I just have them lying neatly up next to my kitchen island. 

I know that Cream of Carrot Soup is eaten all over the place, but for some reason this kind of thing, sometimes called a Potage, is very Quebecois. In Quebec, possibly the most adored chef is named Ricardo Larrivée. He is the only chef I can think of that has a popular French AND English show, plus he has a magazine to top it off. Anyhow, so last year, I caught an episode of his show, and he was making the easiest carrot soup. I loved the colour and the flavours were so simple, yet worked so well together. 

And here's the recipe:

4 cups sliced carrots (about 6 or 7)

1 onion, chopped

2 tablespoons butter

5 cups milk

1 pinch salt and pepper

So I chopped everything up...

Then I sautéed the carrots and onion in the two tbsps of butter for about 5 minutes. I added in the milk, salt and pepper, and brought it to a boil and simmered for about 20-25 minutes. Yes, the milk did burn on the pot a little bit... Not sure how to get around that exactly, but it didn't effect the taste of the soup. 

I just wanted to mention, that the first time I made this recipe, I was concerned that I would need to add some kind of additional seasoning. I mean, there's not a lot going into this soup. Just trust me, there is plenty of flavour, and in this case simplicity is key. This soup is fantastic. At this point, the carrots were tender. Ricardo says to put this in a blender or food processor, but I was feeling lazy, so I used a hand blender. I also like to strain this soup for an extra smooth consistency. It's not pretty, but makes a big difference. 

That's all there is to it! Stir in a little cream, you can even get fancy and write the first letter of peoples names. I did that last time, but this time, I was home by myself and just making lunch for me, so I opted for a pretty swirl. Delish... I ate this and then two pieces of Melba Toast with some goat cheese on it. What a nice lunch!


Have a great day!