It happened all too fast: Summer dipped her toes into Fall and then Fall jumped straight into Winter. We’ve been having wonderfully chilly mornings leading into brisk sunny afternoons. The kind of weather that makes you want to grab a warm body and cuddle the afternoon away, start wearing head to toe tartan, and whisking up hearty soups that warms your hands just as it does your soul.
Photos by Shelby Rae Photographs
A couple of weekends ago, Luisa of Peaches to Pearls, invited me to a Fall luncheon she was hosting at her beautiful apartment with Autumn Glory Apples and asked us to prepare a dish using their apples. I saw the menu laid out by the other guests: apple bruschetta, apple quinoa salad, apple sangria, apple stuffed chicken, I couldn’t think of one item that wasn’t covered until it hit me:
Creamy Apple Parsnip Soup.
I could almost recall the flavors entirely from the Winter previously at Southern Gentleman. Their winter parsnip soup was the most decadent soup I had had in years, and I just knew I would have to try to recreate this somehow.
Creamy Apple and Parsnip Soup
For this recipe you will need:
1 TBSP Butter
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1.5 medium yellow onions, diced
1 lb of parsnips, peeled and sliced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 sweet red apples, I used Autumn Glory Apples, skins on, chopped and quartered
1 quart Chicken Stock
5 fl ounces heavy cream
Salt and black pepper to taste
1. Melt the butter and oil in a large saucepan. Gently fry the onions and parsnips for 15 minutes, or until the onions are softened. Add the garlic and apples and cook for a further two minutes, stirring regularly.
2. Pour over the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes, or until the parsnips are very soft. Remove from the heat and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Blend the mixture in a food processor until smooth.
3. Stir in the cream, adding a little extra if required. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
4. Garnish with a drizzle of black truffle oil, walnuts, bacon, and chives. Pairs excellently with grilled olive bread.
While the recipe itself may seem rather labor intensive at first, the reward is well worth it. This has to be one of the most decadent soups I’ve ever created on my own. The drizzle of black truffle oil on top really makes this dish a lot more snappy.
Don’t cheat yourself by using half-fat or low-fat anything. This is a winter soup, it’s supposed to be ladden down with calories to pack on a little extra warmth for those of us waking up to 40 degree mornings in November.
Go on and enjoy this soup with nary an ounce of guilt, you and your dining companions will be very grateful for the butter and full fat cream you incorporated into this masterpiece.
