Cinnamon Spiced Pea and Carrot Soup with Cinnamon Croutons

Are you ready for a gourmet soup to spice up your winter? I've got some great gourmet soup recipes in line for you. It's all about ingredients you know presented in flavors you didn't know were possible. This soup is a great example of that concept. The ingredient list is simple. You will be familiar with each ingredient, but the combination will intrigue your taste buds, opening them up to a whole new flavor combination. This particular recipe comes from renowned chef Hubert Keller who made this soup on an episode of Top Chef Masters. He made his in a dorm room. I've translated his recipe into a home cook friendly version. It's actually really simple to make it, but the flavors are complex.


Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
1 white onion, diced
8 carrots, peeled and diced
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 1/2 cup frozen peas
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
1 tsp pepper
1 cup whipping cream


Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Once melted, increase the heat to medium-high and saute the onion and carrot for about 5 minutes. Add in the parsley, cinnamon, sugar, salt, and pepper. 

2. Pour in 6 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender. 

3. Add in the peas and cook for another 5 minutes. 

4. In a small bowl, whip the whipping cream using a hand mixer. Continue to whip until soft peaks form which will take 7-10 minutes. 

5. Serve the soup in a bowl and top with a spoonful of whipped cream and a few cinnamon croutons (see below). 

Making croutons is super easy. You just take some bread, cut it into cubes, drizzle a little olive oil and seasoning, and toast under a broiler. 

To make cinnamon croutons I took some slices of grain-packed wheat bread (it is what I had lying around). I cut it into squares and put it on a baking sheet. I whisked about a tablespoon of cinnamon into maybe 1/4 cup of olive oil and drizzled it over the cubed bread. I slid the baking sheet into the oven under the broiler. I kept an eye on them as they toasted to make sure they didn't burn. It took about 7 minutes until they were nice and crispy.