Caramelized Carrot Soup with Coriander-Lemon Browned Butter
By Mark HuxsollPublished on September 3, 2024
Time
55 minutes
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
Carrot Soup
4 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced ½ inch thick3 sprigs fresh thyme 2 tablespoons sugar 2 teaspoons table salt 4 cups chicken broth, divided2 cups waterBrowned Butter
1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme ⅛ teaspoon table salt Pinch cayenne pepper 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 1 teaspoon juiceBefore You Begin
To crush the coriander seeds, place them in a zipper-lock bag and crush with a rolling pin or the heel of a skillet. Look for carrots that are 1 to 1½ inches in diameter at the larger end.
Instructions
- Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots, thyme sprigs, sugar, and salt and cook, stirring often, until carrots are tender and well browned, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Stir in 3 cups broth, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil over high heat. Cook for 1 minute. Off heat, discard thyme sprigs. Process carrot mixture in blender until smooth, about 1 minute, then return soup base to pot. Whisk in water and remaining 1 cup broth; set aside until ready to serve.
- Combine coriander, thyme, salt, and cayenne in medium bowl. Melt butter in 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Continue to cook, stirring constantly with rubber spatula, until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 2 to 4 minutes longer. Immediately transfer browned butter to bowl with coriander mixture and let sit until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in lemon zest and juice; set aside.
- To serve, bring soup to simmer over medium heat, whisking to recombine as needed, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, drizzling individual bowls with browned butter.TO MAKE AHEAD: Soup, prepared through step 2, can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. To serve, proceed with step 3.
for the carrot soup
for the browned butter
Time
55 minutesYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
Carrot Soup
Browned Butter
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Carrot Soup
Browned Butter
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
Carrot Soup
Browned Butter
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Rather than add flavors and depth through the usual aromatics, we chose to focus on enhancing the carrots through caramelization. First, we cooked carrots with butter, a few thyme sprigs, sugar, and salt. As the butter's moisture evaporated, the milk solids began to brown. This occurred around the same time that the carrots began to caramelize and become well browned. To ensure that this soup could be pureed in a single go, we blended the cooked carrots with just half the liquid and then returned the mixture to the Dutch oven and thinned it out to our desired consistency with additional broth. As a finishing touch, we created a seasoned browned butter with some more fresh thyme, crushed coriander, cayenne, and lemon zest and juice for an elegant drizzle over each serving.
Before You Begin
To crush the coriander seeds, place them in a zipper-lock bag and crush with a rolling pin or the heel of a skillet. Look for carrots that are 1 to 1½ inches in diameter at the larger end.
Instructions
- Melt butter in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots, thyme sprigs, sugar, and salt and cook, stirring often, until carrots are tender and well browned, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Stir in 3 cups broth, scraping up any browned bits, and bring to boil over high heat. Cook for 1 minute. Off heat, discard thyme sprigs. Process carrot mixture in blender until smooth, about 1 minute, then return soup base to pot. Whisk in water and remaining 1 cup broth; set aside until ready to serve.
- Combine coriander, thyme, salt, and cayenne in medium bowl. Melt butter in 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Continue to cook, stirring constantly with rubber spatula, until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 2 to 4 minutes longer. Immediately transfer browned butter to bowl with coriander mixture and let sit until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in lemon zest and juice; set aside.
- To serve, bring soup to simmer over medium heat, whisking to recombine as needed, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve, drizzling individual bowls with browned butter.TO MAKE AHEAD: Soup, prepared through step 2, can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. To serve, proceed with step 3.
for the carrot soup
for the browned butter
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