Did you know the original jack-o-lanterns weren’t carved from pumpkins? Specimens from 19th century Ireland were fashioned out of turnips, resulting in a visage that was truly and unabashedly terrifying. People in the celtic past were motivated to do a lot of warding off of evil spirits during Samhain, which no doubt led to scaring the hell out of each other in the process. The jack-o-lantern tradition alleges its beginnings to an unseemly character named Stingy Jack. The man was cunning enough to foil the devil and get the best of him on multiple encounters, but after his death was forced to roam the earth for eternity as neither heaven or hell would take him in. As a contemptuous token of pity, the devil threw him an ember from the fiery pits that would burn continuously. Jack placed it in a hollowed out root vegetable and used it to light his way as his doomed soul roamed the terrestrial plane. So there you have it, the original jack-o-lantern.
With this in mind, I felt a turnip soup would be a good jumping off point for this first course. It’s a complex recipe – not for the faint of heart or the bereft of time – but the flavors marry beautifully and the table-side pour adds a dose of warranted drama.
Turnip Soup w/ Miso Roasted Carrots, Horseradish Cream & Crispy Buckwheat
- Yield: Serves 3–4 1x
Ingredients
Turnip Soup:
- 1 large leek, quartered and sliced
- 1 medium shallot, diced
- 2 ribs celery, sliced
- 2 lbs turnips, peeled and trimmed, large dice
- 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled, large dice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 qt chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 Tbsp salted butter, melted
- kosher salt
Miso Roasted Carrots:
- 1lb small carrots, trimmed and peeled
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp white miso
- 2 tbsp salted butter, melted
Kale Emulsion:
- 2 cups baby kale, packed (100g)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 c hazelnut oil
Crispy Buckwheat:
- 1/3 cup buckwheat groats
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Horseradish Cream:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tbsp fresh horseradish juice
Mead Mustard Paste:
- 2 Tbsps dry mustard powder
- 1 Tbsp semi-sweet mead
Garnish:
- Marigold leaves and pedals
Instructions
For the Turnip Soup:
- Heat olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add Leek, Shallot and Celery. Sweat until softened, taking care not to brown them, around 10 minutes.
- Add Turnips, Potato, Chicken Stock and Bay leaf. Turn heat to medium high and simmer uncovered until turnips are soft enough to mash, around 30 minutes.
- Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Working in batches, transfer soup to a blender and add melted Butter. Remove blender lid, place clean towel over top of blender and puree on high speed. Season with salt to taste. Pass puree through a fine mesh sieve. Thin soup with 3-6 tablespoons of water if necessary, mixing until a free-flowing consistency is achieved.
For the Miso Roasted Carrots:
- Preheat the oven to 425F. In a large pot of salted boiling water, blanch the carrots for 3 minutes. Remove with tongs and place on paper-towel lined plate to dry. Keep the blanching liquid boiling for the kale emulsion below.
- Heat vegetable oil in a roasting pan over high heat. Add carrots and sauté, shaking the pan occasionally until lightly browned on all sides. Remove pan from heat.
- Combine melted butter and miso. Drizzle over carrots and mix to coat.
- Roast the carrots until tender and browned, about 20 minutes, turning once halfway through.
- Transfer carrots to cutting board and let cool. Cut carrots into 3 inch segments, then cut segments in half on a bias.
For the Kale Emulsion:
- Prepare an ice bath in a large bowl. Place Baby Kale in a strainer or blanching basket and blanch in boiling water for 20 seconds. Remove and immediately shock in ice bath, strain and pat dry.
- Add blanched baby kale, Lemon Juice, Hazelnut Oil, and salt to a food processor or blender. Puree on high until fully emulsified, scraping down sides as necessary. Pass through a fine mesh sieve.
For the Crispy Buckwheat:
- Preheat oven to 350F. Coat buckwheat in oil, a pinch of salt and a few turns fresh ground pepper. Spread on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil.
- Roast until crispy and smells nutty, 20-25 minutes.
For the Horseradish Cream:
- In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine Heavy Cream and Horseradish Juice. Whip on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, 3-4 minutes. Transfer contents to a piping bag.
For the Mead Mustard Paste:
- Add Mustard Powder and Mead to small bowl. Stir with a pastry brush to combine.
Assembly:
- Using a pastry brush, brush a portion of Mead Mustard Paste in a straight line across each bowl, from lip to lip.
- Cluster 4-5 cut Miso Roasted Carrots, flat side down, along one end of the brushstroke.
- Pipe Horseradish Cream in 3-4 dollops, in-between carrots. Sprinkle Crispy Buckwheat over area.
- Garnish with Marigold leaves and pedals.
- Fill a pitcher with warm Turnip Soup. Serve pre-plated bowls and pour soup into each bowl table-side.
- Drizzle kale emulsion over bowls and top with more crispy buckwheat.
Notes
Soup can be made up to 2 days in advance.
