FALL'S BOUNTY
Well so far on the west coast we're not feeling very fallish. But it is the perfect time to nab some of that fresh autumn produce and put some warming soup away in the freezer.
One of my favourites is:
PARSNIP AND PEAR SOUP
First of all, sorry there are no pics. I made this and the puffs for dinner but got too excited to eat and forgot to immortalize them....so sad. So fire me!
Even if you aren't totally in love with parsnips you will love this soup, sweetened with pears. I like it for a first course for an autumn meal or as a main for lunch served with pear and cheese puff triangles
(recipe below)
Melt 4 Tbs butter and saute 2 cups chopped onions and 1/2 cup chopped celery til tender.
Combine above in a large pot with 1 lb. (about 5 medium) parsnips peeled and cut up, 1 lb. (about 3) pears peeled and cut up along with 4 cups chicken stock (or water) and cook til tender.
Puree with an immersion blender or a regular one.
Add s and p and1/8 tsp. each of nutmeg and cinnamon.
Stir in 1 cup of cream (milk if you must) and heat through.
I also like to add some fresh thyme. Taste and add more salt if needed or even a bit of brown sugar.Serve with a swirl of cream, a thin slice of pear, a sprinkle of nutmeg and a sprig of thyme.
If you want to add a nice sweet layer of flavour to this soup, simply rosat the whole parsnips for 20 minutes or so then add halved pears and onions and roast another 30 minutes or so til tender and browned before making the soup above. You can roast a bunch ahead of time and freeze for the days you're feeling 'soupish'.Then all you have to do is add stock and seasonings and you're ready to go.
FRUIT AND CHEESE PUFFS
Roll out one square of puff pastry. (it comes in a package of 2 squares)
into a square.
Cut into 4 pieces (squarish)
Saute half a sliced onion in butter til nicely caramelized.
Top each piece of pastry with some onion, overlapping pear slices (you don't have to peel) and some sharp shredded cheddar cheese. (a little fresh thyme is also nice)
Bake at 400 til pastry is nicely browned and apples are tender
Cut each square into 2 triangles for serving.
These also make great appetizers if you cut the dough into tiny squares. Just chop the pears smaller and mix with the cheese and onions and put a spoonful on top of each square.
I also love these with apple slices and gruyere cheese or nectarines and a light cheese like monterey jack or mozzarella.
This is also the perfect time to buy green onions and red peppers while they are inexpensive and chop and freeze for recipes in the winter.If you freeze the red peppers in 4 cup bags, you will be ready when I post my Red Pepper Soup recipe.
Next week I will post the recipe for Easy (and I do mean easy) Bread and Butter Pickles courtesy of my sweet sister-in-law May. These disappear quickly so you will want to make lots.
Remember to be thankful!
Puree with an immersion blender or a regular one.
Add s and p and1/8 tsp. each of nutmeg and cinnamon.
Stir in 1 cup of cream (milk if you must) and heat through.
I also like to add some fresh thyme. Taste and add more salt if needed or even a bit of brown sugar.Serve with a swirl of cream, a thin slice of pear, a sprinkle of nutmeg and a sprig of thyme.
If you want to add a nice sweet layer of flavour to this soup, simply rosat the whole parsnips for 20 minutes or so then add halved pears and onions and roast another 30 minutes or so til tender and browned before making the soup above. You can roast a bunch ahead of time and freeze for the days you're feeling 'soupish'.Then all you have to do is add stock and seasonings and you're ready to go.
FRUIT AND CHEESE PUFFS
Roll out one square of puff pastry. (it comes in a package of 2 squares)
into a square.
Cut into 4 pieces (squarish)
Saute half a sliced onion in butter til nicely caramelized.
Top each piece of pastry with some onion, overlapping pear slices (you don't have to peel) and some sharp shredded cheddar cheese. (a little fresh thyme is also nice)
Bake at 400 til pastry is nicely browned and apples are tender
Cut each square into 2 triangles for serving.
These also make great appetizers if you cut the dough into tiny squares. Just chop the pears smaller and mix with the cheese and onions and put a spoonful on top of each square.
I also love these with apple slices and gruyere cheese or nectarines and a light cheese like monterey jack or mozzarella.
This is also the perfect time to buy green onions and red peppers while they are inexpensive and chop and freeze for recipes in the winter.If you freeze the red peppers in 4 cup bags, you will be ready when I post my Red Pepper Soup recipe.
Next week I will post the recipe for Easy (and I do mean easy) Bread and Butter Pickles courtesy of my sweet sister-in-law May. These disappear quickly so you will want to make lots.
Remember to be thankful!
No comments:
Post a Comment