An easy version of a classic French carrot soup.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbps butter
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1.5 pounds carrots*, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 medium waxy potato, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock, or water
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup heavy cream or milk
• salt to taste
• 1-2″ piece of ginger, peeled and minced, optional
• dash of cayenne, tsp of curry powder or ginger, optional

Garnishes:

• parsley, cilantro, or chives
• Greek yogurt, sour cream, or crème fraîche

In a large soup pot, cook the carrots, onion, potato, and garlic (and the fresh ginger if you are making the carrot-ginger soup version) in the two tablespoons of butter over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the 4 cups of stock (I usually use 2 cups of stock and 2 of water, because I use my homemade stock, which is fairly concentrated) and the pepper and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot and cook for 30 minutes.

Remove soup from the heat and carefully puree using a stick blender, food mill, or process in batches in a blender. Return the pureed soup to the pot, stir in the heavy cream (light cream or whole milk also work well, but you should make it at least once with heavy cream!) and taste for seasonings. Add salt and additional pepper as necessary. A dash of cayenne pepper is a nice addition here as well, and if you didn’t use fresh ginger, a teaspoon of powdered ginger can be added. Sweeter curries also compliment the flavors of carrots, and adding a teaspoon or so of curry powder gives a delicious curried carrot soup. Heat and stir well to blend flavors.

Serve with chopped fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, and chives are favorites) and/or a little crème fraîche, sour cream, or Greek yogurt. A green salad and crusty French bread round out the meal. Bon Appétit!

*Note: This soup is very good with grocery store-bought carrots. However, if you can access locally grown carrots from your farmers market, they elevate the soup to divine!

Wine pairing:

My favorite wine to pair with potage Crécy is Viognier, and there are several very well-crafted Virginia Viogniers that would be wonderful with this soup. Of course, a French Viognier would be a lovely pairing and nod to the origin of the soup (Crécy is the area in France with the reputation for growing the best carrots!). The herbal and floral aromatics in really fresh carrots compliment the floral components in Viognier beautifully. Another wine I would recommend for this soup is Albariño, another aromatic variety that has its origins Spain but has been planted in Virginia as well. Cheers!

Veritas 2011 Viognier from Afton, Va. Elegant and balanced. Floral aromatics with varietal characters of apricot, pear, honeysuckle, and orange blossom.

Another Virginia Viognier from the Northern region. This wine is unctuous and decadent with tropical fruit aromatics and a rich mouthfeel.

Horton was the first to plant Viognier in Virginia and has been a champion for the variety. In 2011 Viognier was named Virginia’s state grape!

Domaine des Salices 2009 Viognier. A vin de pays from the Languedoc. A good value (retails for about $15) Viognier from France.

Cauliflower is one of my favorite winter vegetables, and one of the most under-appreciated. This soup comes together in minutes:

Sautee one small or 1/2 large chopped onion and 1-2 chopped celery ribs in about one Tbsp each olive oil and butter over medium to med-high heat until the onion is translucent. Season with salt and pepper.

Reduce heat to medium and add 2 finely chopped cloves of garlic and 1-2 chopped dried or fresh chilis (We used 2 dried Thai chilis from our garden, the fat in this soup cuts the heat significantly). Sautee for 1-2 minutes more.

Add 6-8 cups of water (use chicken or vegetable stock for a richer soup), enough to cover the cauliflower florets. Bring to a boil.

Add the florets of one large cauliflower. Cover and boil for 7-10 minutes, until the florets are tender.

Drain the liquid into a separate container. Add the vegetables to a blender (this may take more than one batch) and bring to 3/4 volume with liquid. Blend and repeat with subsequent batches. This should use most or all of the liquid. Taste and correct seasoning.

In the same pot the vegetables were boiled in, make a roux by melting 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1 Tbsp butter then adding 2 Tbsp flour and mixing to form a paste. Cook for 2 minutes over medium heat. I also add some freshly-cracked pepper to the roux.

Add one cup of milk (we used whole) and whick until thickened, about 5 minutes.

Add one cup of grated cheese (we used Druck’s cheddar, gruyere or Ementaler would be excellent) and stir until melted.

Add the cauliflower puree, 1/2 tsp ground coriander, and some freshly-grated nutmeg and whisk to thoroughly combine. Heat through.

Serve with fresh chopped parsely and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Bon appétit!

Wine pairing: Cool-climate white wines come to mind, like Riesling, Chardonnay from Bourgogne, Alsacian or Oregonian Pinot gris, or Grüner Veltliner. Cheers!

I was looking at soup recipes for inspiration to enhance my broccoli soup. I found a Gordon Ramsey recipe that used only broccoli, salt, and water. He served it over walnuts and ashed goat cheese and a drizzle of olive oil. It looked amazing. So I decided to keep it simple, and here are the two versions I came up with:

Version 1: fresh

Sautee one finely chopped shallot and celery rib in a little bit of olive oil over medium heat until the vegetables are soft and translucent. Season with a little bit of salt and black pepper.

Prepare broccoli by chopping into large florets and peeling and chopping the tender part of the stalks.

Add enough water to the sauteed vegetables to cover the volume of broccoli that you are going to add. Bring to a rapid boil. Salt generously.

Add the broccoli, the water should still be at a rolling boil, cover the pot, and cook for 4-5 minutes until the florets are al dente – a sharp knife cuts through them easily (not mushy!).

Immediately strain the liquid into another container, and transfer the vegetables to the blender. Add some of the liquid. About 1/2 the volume of the blender for a thicker fresh soup and more (a couple inches below the top) for the creamy version.

Carefully blend the hot ingredients until smooth. (To avoid scalding, try this method: put a towel over the top and press down, pulse the blender a few times to mix ingredients, then blend.)

Taste and correct seasoning. The soup is ready to serve and tastes fresh and light. Phil thought it would also taste great cold, I agree and would add a handful of parsley and/or cilantro to the blender if I was serving it cold.

Garnish with fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro), Greek yogurt or sour cream, and a drizzle of olive oil, preferably really young, fresh, green, extra virgin olive oil (from Cortona if you can get it!).

Version 2: creamy

If you decided to make the creamier version, add about 2 tablespoons butter and/or olive oil back to original pot over medium heat. Stir in 2 Tbsp flour to form a paste.

Add 1 cup of milk (or 1/2 cup milk, 1/2 cup cooking liquid) and stir until thickened.

For broccoli cheese soup, add 1/2-1 cup shredded cheese (white cheddar, fontina, a good mild melting cheese) and stir until melted.

Return the pureed vegetable soup to the pot and heat through.

Add 1/2 tsp ground coriander. Taste and correct seasonings.

Garnish as above with fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro), Greek yogurt or sour cream, and a drizzle of really good olive oil.

Bon appétit!

Wine pairings: This soup would pair beautifully with many whites – Viognier, Albarino, Pinot grigio, Soave, stainless or lightly-oaked Chardonnay. Avoid heavily oaked or malolactic whites. A rose or light-bodied red would also be nice – Pinot noir, or try a red from Austria. We paired the soup with a Anton Bauer 2004 Wagram Cuvee No 10 – a Blaufrankisch, Zweigelt, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot blend. Cheers!

This soup is summer in a bowl. It is also a meal on its own, or pair with a green salade. This recipe is from Philippe’s grandmother (Mamita), Suzanne Genachte:

Place half of the following in a blender, the rest chopped in individual bowls for serving:

4 large tomatoes* (we go heavy on tomatoes, so if they are not gigantic, use 5 or 6, and usually about 2/3 end up in the blender)

1 large green pepper, remove seeds and ribs (use part red pepper for more color and sweetness)

1 large cucumber (remove seeds)

1 sweet onion (Mamita calls for Spanish, however, if a mild onion is not available, add less to the blender, and more chopped on the table)

4 slices country bread – we use Philippe’s foccacia

Blend together with 1 cup of ice (to chill quickly) and 1 cup of water (add up to 2 more cups of water to reach desired consistency and taste), 1/4 cup wine vinaigre (white or red), 1/4 olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. We add 1 fresh chile to the blender as well – jalapeno or serano – for a spicier gaspacho.

Refrigerate the soup for 1 hour or so prior to eating. Serve with the reserved chopped vegetables and bread, fresh cilantro, parsley, or basil, and Greek yogurt, sour cream, or creme fraiche.

Bon Appetit!

Wine pairing: We enjoyed this gaspacho with a Rose from southern France. Celebrate its origin with a crisp Spanish white or dry red wine. Sangria would be a fun pairing as well. Cheers!

*Tip for peeling and seeding tomatoes: cut an “X” in the bottom and drop it in boiling water for 10 seconds. Immediately place in an ice bath, let cool, peel, chop, and de-seed. Also works for peaches, nectarines, and other soft-skinned fruits.

1 butternut squash – cut into quarters, seeded (save and toast the seeds with the roasting squash), placed flesh-down on a roasting sheet in a 350F oven for about an hour

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

fresh thyme and/or sage (optional), minced

*nutmeg, freshly grated

2 TBSP butter

2 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP flour

water

1 cup milk

Saute the chopped onion, celery, and carrot in 1 TBSP each of butter and olive oil over medium to medium-high heat for about 5-10 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium-low and add the garlic and fresh herbs if desired. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes more. Add the roasted butternut squash pulp.

Add 4-6 cups of water or stock (depending on squash size). Stir. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes until vegetables are very tender.

Transfer squash mixture to a blender or food processor and process until smooth.

Heat the remaining butter and oil over medium heat until the butter is melted, add 2 TBSP flour and whisk to form a paste. Slowly add the 1 cup of milk and stir until it thickens.

Stir in the pureed squash mixture, season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg and warm through.

Serve with the toasted squash seeds and Greek yogurt, sour cream, or creme fraiche. A green salad and French bread round out the meal perfectly.

Bon appétit!

Wine pairings: Viognier or a rich Chardonnay; Beaujolais if you must have red.

*Notes – a pinch of cinnamon in this soup is perfect for the holidays. Coriander is a complimentary spice as well.