Carrot Bisque makes for a cozy belly on a dreary, rainy April day. And tomorrow, once the rain has ended, the redbud, forsythias, azaleas, and flowering quince will be all aflame, even brighter after an April shower. But today we’re roasting veg and buzzing it in the blender to make a creamy, comforting, bright, warming bowl of home. It goes without saying, I guess, that we pulled the carrots out of the freezer. I just planted carrots for the upcoming season yesterday, so it’s time to use up what we have, and this carrot bisque is a satisfying way to make that happen. Top with crispy shallots – sweet, crunchy and a bit smoky. Very good.
Carrot Bisque
Ingredients
- 1 sweet bell pepper (and any other veg you have on hand for roasting)
- 1 large onion
- 1 nob fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 pounds carrots
- 1 T ground cumin
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven and prepare veg – Preheat the oven to 425℉, convection roast setting. Trim the pepper into 2" pieces. Halve the onion, remove the skin, and cut the halves into wedges. Cut the ginger in half. Carrots should be trimmed and cut into thumb-sized pieces as well.
- Roast the veg – Toss the veg with olive oil and cumin, and spread out on a lined baking sheet. Roast for about 35 minutes, until soft and charred just a bit.
- Blend – Add the roasted veg to your blender jar, then add the broth, cream, and black pepper. Puree until smooth, adding water if necessary to achieve a pleasing consistency. You may need to add salt of you've added some water.
- Serve – Ladle into bowls, garnish if you're so inspired, and serve!
Roasting brings out the sweetness and intensity of most vegetables, and carrots are no exception. I don’t know why it took me so long to figure out how important this step is in elevating a dish from just OK to aromatic and wonderful. A younger me would have pshawed at the idea. I would have dumped everything into the soup pot and pulverize it with a stick blender after it was soft enough. Not any more. It take me a while, but I do learn. Especially in the kitchen!