Sunday, March 27, 2011

Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon "Orange Velvet" ...and a Confession

Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon "Orange Velvet" ...and a Confession

The first time I tried Carrot Ginger Soupdid not want to like it.

We were dining at a French Thai restaurant and the soup arrived as part of my meal...

"The only way I enjoy cooked carrots are when they're stuffed into a cake and slathered with cream cheese frosting!" ...a direct quote from "yours truly" some 15 years ago...and one I am not proud of!

Today... I pride myself on my "open-mindedness" towards all things food. There's not much I don't like (nor am unwilling to try) but here comes the confession.......

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I have a slight (TOP SECRET) prejudice towards those who claim to dislike things...for example... cilantro, garlic, lamb...etc...

There I said it!  Please don't be mad! I once got into a heated discussion (on one of the popular food boards) with a woman who took great offence to my admissions!

I recall she went so far as to wish me ill will/DEATH the next time I eat a fresh herb...

I don't think she reads my blog. (Or if she does ...it's with an "adorable" blond voodoo doll in hot pink tank...with cilantro smeared all over her face and rusty needles protruding through her neck...)

soup before passed thru a CHINOISE
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Ouch!  Anyway...to prove I do not take my food prejudices too seriously...my own father claims to hate cilantro...my mom doesn't like lamb...and I have two best friends who won't eat garlic!

(With the friends...I had to seriously weigh the pros and cons of the relationship before ultimately accepting them as the..."garlic disliking freaks" that they are.  Yet ones I still enjoy spending time with ...I guess.)

My Mom and Dad...well...they get a pass with all the, "birthing" "raising" and "paying for four years of college stuff...." ...but I still don't believe they've EVER had lamb OR cilantro prepared the right way! 

So the next time my parents are over for dinner, I'm thinking Cilantro Encrusted Lamb Chops...with garlic mashed potatoes ...as I might invite over some friends...  ;)

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Getting back to that Carrot Ginger Soup some 15 years ago (good God I know I am getting old as I JUST WAS 15...like half a lifetime ago...plus some....) ...and that beautiful bowl of "Orange Velvet"  I so desperately wanted to DESPISE.... 

INSTEAD I loved ...every ...last ...bite!  I compare ALL Carrot Ginger Soups to that one that infamous night.

I am certain the soup at the French Thai restaurant was passed through a CHINOISE  (here I did so with half of it)... and while the restaurant served their Carrot Ginger Soup with a beautiful drizzle of stark white cream...I opted for homemade Parmesan crisps...

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(simply grated Parmesan cheese thrown into a hot cast iron skillet in thin clump layers...cooked on one side...then flipped to the other....about 8 minutes total..)

Here's the recipe photographed in this post, Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon via epicurious.com

The only difference (as already mentioned) passing half the completed soup thru a CHINOISE .....then mixing it all back together!  (A step that is completely optional!) 

The "paste" leftover inside the chinoise, will be turned into a cream sauce and appear in a separate post!  ORANGE VELVET.  ENJOY!

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27 comments:

Clint said...

Wow---lotsa' work on this one with great pics and great thoughts. I appreciate it very much!

Anonymous said...

I have made a very similar soup and just love it. I like the addition of orange in yours!

Tabitha Bee said...

I'm surrounded on all sides by lamb-haters, but garlic? GARLIC?! That's tastebud treachery right there.

Nuts about food said...

Heehee...I think many of us food lovers have that prejudice. I mean, if you don't like something it is just because you haven't tried it prepared the right way. And usually that is the case. It has happened to me too.

Unknown said...

LOL.. you are so funny!! I don't dislike anything...well, at least I won't admit I dislike anything anymore to you :)
The soup looks beautiful! The color is so lovely...I bet it tastes amazing!

Katerina said...

I am 42 years old and my life has taught me to never say never. I have my dislikes but I am not as dogmatic as I used to be. I love carrots so this soup would be great for me, I love its color and texture. On the other hand regarding the lamb I bend more towards your mom, it is not in my top food list lol. But this one is a beauty!

Stephanie @GlobalDish said...

Oooh what a gorgeous soup! I love the photos :) Must try the recipe - thanks for the link!

Unknown said...

YUM!

I love the velvety texture. And the Parmesan crisps... just genius!

Cheers!

Toby

Miss Meat and Potatoes said...

Ha ha ha!! I love this post - and I still love you! Nothing fills me with dread more than having severely picky eaters come to my house for dinner. What can you cook if you can't use garlic or herbs or 'fancy' cheese??? I usually resort to steak and baked potatoes - which don't get me wrong - I love - but it always saddens me to not get to try out something new and fun for company. And my whole family hates lamb btw - this alone makes me want to seek therapy sometime. I suppose I'll never host that spring lamb roast I've always dreamed about:( Lovely soup though dearest!!

France@beyondthepeel said...

Were you in my head...I just made the same thing too. Or similar. I completely agree with food haters. I try and convert them one by one. It's a sick pleasure of mine. I've managed to convert my husbands dislikes to likes with beets, yams, and mushrooms. Tomorrow I conquer the world!

Andrea the Kitchen Witch said...

As someone who has her own food 'hates' I also get mad when I hear others say that they 'hate' things too!! While I might not like some things I am trying HARD to like them and get over whatever aversions I've had to them. Mayo is an example; while I will not put it on a sandwich still I will eat it in potato salad. Oh and I tried lamb for the first time (outside of a gyro) and LOVED it! :)

Karen said...

Ha. I have MANY friends who claim not to like things and planning dinner parties is always such a chore. This person doesn't like this, and this person won't eat that. You are basically left with serving plain, gluten-free pasta with an iceberg lettuce salad, dressing on the side. (In short, I feel your pain!)
But your soup looks divine! I love how velvety it looks...that's the perfect word. YUM!

Marc van der Wouw said...

Wow looks very tasteful... nice pictures too;-)

Unknown said...

Thanks all! Of course I came across like five major mistakes after submitting this post...I tried to fix them but God only knows...I am sure there are still a few I missed! I just stop seeing things after a while! (and stay up too late...) :) XO

Courtney said...

Ahh, I have missed your posts! Catching up on them now - always love your stories & beautiful photos. Hope you had a lovely weekend! :)

Angela said...

So beautiful. Excellent pictures.

Mary Bergfeld said...

Your pictures today are wonderful and that soup looks wonderful in the extreme.
I really have to give it a try. Have a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary

Unknown said...

Hey it's your choice... and tastebuds... you should eat what you like:)
Absolutely lovely soup
Cheers!!

chow and chatter said...

amazing soup thanks for coming down under with me and I agree we should all be open minded when it comes to food

laurie said...

Such a fun post to read! I love to try new things and I have never tried carrot soup!

Edible Art said...

ahaha ! i loved reading this post

esp about the
" So the next time my parents are over for dinner, I'm thinking Cilantro Encrusted Lamb Chops...with garlic mashed potatoes ...as I might invite over some friends... ;) "

ahaha! sounds like a deliciously evil genius plan to me !

Edible Art said...

ahaha ! i loved reading this post

esp about the
" So the next time my parents are over for dinner, I'm thinking Cilantro Encrusted Lamb Chops...with garlic mashed potatoes ...as I might invite over some friends... ;) "

ahaha! sounds like a deliciously evil genius plan to me !

Simply Life said...

ha, you are too funny - this soup looks wonderful!

Bo said...

Yes I'm pretty open to most foods...there is only one food I hate raw celery...and I have tried it plenty of times...yuck.

As for people thinking they don't like things. If I know it I usually just don't tell them what they are eating.

Magic of Spice said...

You are too funny, best laugh Iv'e had in awhile :) Gorgeous soup and photos!

Pam said...

You are too funny!!! There's not much I don't like but I certainly know a few who have many food dislikes and it makes it challenging when I have to cook for them sometimes. I'm kind of evasive about what's in a dish, that works when I know there aren't allergies involved! Your soup looks incredibly delicious and I bet it's perfect!

The Food Hound said...

I totally have food prejudice, and it's usually against people who avoid fat, HA! And garlic, cilantro, etc, of course :) I love ginger-carrot soup... warms the soul for these few days of NASTINESS that crept into the weather forecast. Where's my tan? Where's my drink with an umbrella? Oh well, I guess it's still March :)