White Carrot Soup Recipe

This is something of a new experience for me; multi-coloured carrots.  I was impressed to find purple ones in my vegetable box last week (the flesh was disappointingly orange – unlike these, but they looked fantastic when grated into a salad), and these white ones were a great surprise, too.

No, they're not parsnips.

Now, how to cook a white carrot and still keep it interesting?  A quick scan of the internet shows recipes ranging from white carrot juice to white carrot cake.  Since I’ve not tasted white carrot before, I opted for a recipe which would highlight its flavour (a bit more delicate than a “normal” carrot, I think); the humble soup.

Before you ask, the reason there’s no picture of the finished article (the soup) is down to a pure lack of skill on my behalf. An very pale bowl of soup is hardly photogenic and I have neither the talent nor the patience to make it so, but I make no apology.  You want carrots, you got ‘em.

And did you know that orange carrots have only been around since the 16th century, when they were developed by the Dutch?

Begin by sweating off the vegetables in a little olive oil for 5 minutes before pouring in 750ml of chicken stock and adding the thyme.  Simmer for 20 minutes until all of the vegetables are soft, then whizz in a blender until smooth.  Add the honey and double cream and stir well.  If too thick thin with water to the desired consistency then season to taste.

Some variations on the net use Gruyere Cheese as an addition which sounds delicious.