Leek And Parsnip Soup With Caviar And Black Pepper Cream Recipes

POTATO LEEK SOUP

Steps:

• Make a bouquet garni: First wrap bay leaves, rosemary, parsley, and peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth. Then tie with a piece of kitchen twine, and set aside.
• Heat olive oil and butter in a medium stockpot. Add celery, leeks, shallots, and garlic; cook on medium-low heat until very soft, about 45 minutes, stirring only occasionally. Do not brown. Add potatoes, stock, and reserved bouquet garni. Bring mixture to a boil, and then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cook until potatoes are very tender, about 40 minutes. Remove bouquet garni, and discard.
• Working in batches, pass half of the soup through a food mill, fitted with a medium disk, into a large saucepan. Add remaining chunky soup. Place the saucepan on medium-low heat to warm soup. Slowly stir in milk and cream, and season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.

CREAMY LEEK AND PARSNIP SOUP

Steps:

• Put olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leeks and parsnips, and stir to coat. Add the 2 teaspoons salt and pepper to taste.
• Let vegetables sizzle and cook, stirring frequently until nearly caramelized, but without browning, until softened, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add bay leaf, turmeric and garlic, and stir to coat. Increase heat to high, add water or broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes more. Taste broth and adjust seasoning.
• With a blender, purée soup to a creamy consistency. (Small batches work best.) Thin with water or broth, if necessary - it should be like a thin milkshake, not thick and porridge-like.
• Reheat the soup before serving. Serve plain, or give each bowl a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil or a dollop of crème fraîche or yogurt, if desired.

PARSNIP LEEK AND POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• 1. Place all of the ingredients, except nutmeg, in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover with lid for 35 minutes.
• 2. Turn off heat and leave covered until cool enough to purée.
• 3. To purée, use an immersion blender. I do not remove the bay leaf, I just keep it in the mix.
• 4. Once puréed, add the nutmeg and stir well. If desired, you can add heavy cream or half and half . If so, adjust salt and pepper.

PARSNIP-LEEK SOUP WITH LUMP CRAB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. In a medium roasting pan, toss parsnips with oil. Roast, covered with foil, 20 minutes. Add leeks and leaves of 2 thyme sprigs; toss to coat with oil; splash with wine. Roast, covered with same foil, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, 30 minutes. Discard any burned bits. In a large pot, bring veggies and 2 cups stock to a boil; reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes; let cool slightly. In a food processor, blend soup on low until smooth. Return blended soup to pot; add cream, if desired. Bring soup to a very low simmer; season with salt and black pepper; add remaining 1 cup stock to reach desired thickness (crabmeat should be able to sit on top). In a bowl right before serving, microwave juice, butter and leaves of remaining 2 thyme sprigs until butter melts, about 20 seconds; stir. Toss crabmeat in lemon-butter mixture. Pour soup into 8 demitasse cups; top each with 1 1/2 teaspoons crab. DO AHEAD: You can roast the parsnips and leeks one or two days before your bash; just cover (so the veggies don't dry out) and refrigerate until you're ready to finish the soup.