Darren Rowse Where I think out loud

Carrot and Maple Syrup Soup

Earlier today I was making a Carrot and Maple Syrup Soup in preparation for dinner tonight (it’s a starter that we’re having as part of a Christmas in July dinner that we’re having for a few friends) and I tweeted that I was making it.

So many people asked for the recipe that I thought I’d share it here in full rather than in 140 character bites.

I should say that this is a recipe we got from a ‘Delicious’ Magazine (August 2009) (pretty sure that’s only available in Australia).

1. Preheat an oven to 180 degrees celcius (350 f).
2. Line a roasting tray with baking paper. Chop up 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of Carrots (into 1-2cm (0.5-1 inch) segments) and put it in the tray.
3. Grate 2-3cm (an inch) of Ginger over the top of the Carrot.
4. Finely chop up a couple of cloves of Garlic and sprinkle over the top of the Carrot and Ginger.
5. Drizzle a third of a cup of Maple Syrup and 2 table spoons of Olive Oil over the top.
6. Season it with Salt and Pepper and mix it all around (toss it a little) so that the Carrots are covered with the syrup and oil.
7. Place the tray into the oven for 30 minutes (actually for me it took a little longer) or until the carrot is starting to go soft. Turn (or give it another mix) after 15 or so minutes.
8. Put the carrot mixture (including all the yummy juices) into a saucepan with 4 cups of either Chicken or Vegetable stock.
9. Season it and bring it to the boil. Then let it simmer (covered) for 20 minutes (until the Carrot is really soft).
10. Blend/Puree the mixture until it is smooth using a hand blender.
11. Serve the soup in bowls with another drizzle of Maple Syrup and some creme fraiche and a garnish of chives.
12. The recipe suggests serving it with buttermilk scones but we’ve got some yummy bread as it’s a starter for our meal and not the main dish.

I hope the conversions I’ve done for those of you not used to metric measurements are OK :-)

I’ve not taken a picture of the final dish yet but the one above is during the roasting stage (taken with my iPhone so don’t expect too much of the pic).

Update: The soup was a hit – rich, sweet and a lovely deep golden color. It was a great way to start the meal.