Carrot Soup

Melissa's Notes: A few years ago I was on vacation over St. Patrick's Day Weekend and the restaurant where I was staying at had the usual fare of corned beef and cabbage and the like. I decided to try the soup that night, and it just happened to be carrot soup. Let me tell you, I wasn't expecting much. But I was pleasantly surprised, it was one of the yummiest soups I had ever tasted; and I do love my soup, let me tell you. Since then, I have been wanting to try a carrot soup recipe, and last week, I finally did! You know it's a hit when your 4 year old asks for another bowl and finishes the whole thing. That has never happened before with soup at my house. Never. James also gave it two thumbs up, and admitted that he wasn't too excited when he heard we were having carrot soup, but it was "surprisingly, really good!". Of course it was, James, how could you ever doubt me?

Carrot Soup w/ Sesame Bread Cubes (although it's great even without the bread cubes!)

recipe courtesy of Keeping Up Cookbook

6 Tbsp. butter
3 c. peeled and chopped carrots
1 c. chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1 c. chopped celery
6 c. chicken broth
1 c. heavy cream or half-and-half
1 c. sour cream
1 Tbsp. Asian sesame oil, divided
5 c. 1" bread cubes, crusts removed (preferably from day-old French bread)
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted
2 Tbsp. chopped green onions (I left this out)

Melt 2 Tbsp. of the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add carrots, leeks, and celery. Cover and cook for 10 min., stirring occasionally. Add broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in a blender until smooth. Return to soup pot. Whisk cream, sour cream and 1 tsp. of the sesame oil into soup. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.

In a large skillet, melt remaining 4 Tbsp. butter with 2 tsp. of sesame oil over medium heat. Add bread cubes and saute until golden brown and crispy.

Ladle soup into bowls and mound bread cubes in the center of each bowl. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and green onions.

*I halved this recipe and it was gone that night, so if you want leftovers, make the whole thing. Also, the soup gets an interesting consistency when you add in the sour cream, so if you want, you could just add a dollop to each bowl so you have a prettier soup. Personally, I liked the soup better without the bread cubes, but I thought I'd include them in case they sounded good to someone else.