Parsnip and Apple Soup with Parmesan-Chive Foam

This was one of Princess Diana’s favorite dishes. Her personal chef, Darren McGrady, made it for her many, many times. It has the right balance between silky, earthy parsnip flavor and the taste of sweet/tart apple that comes through. Make time to prepare the garnish; it turns a good soup into a great one.

Serves 4

For the SOUP
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1pound parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups good chicken stock
½ cup heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper

For the GARNISH
¼ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons roughly chopped chives, divided
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled

For the soup:
Melt the butter in a heavy bottomed saucepan. When the butter has stopped foaming, add the parsnips, apple, and onion. Saute until the onion is translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add the coriander and chicken stock. Bring the soup up to a gentle simmer, turn down the heat, and simmer until the parsnips are tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork.

Remove the soup from the heat and with a hand-held blender, puree the soup. If you want to use a standard blender, you will need to let the soup cool down before blending. After blending the soup, strain the content through a fine mesh strainer to remove any lumps. The soup can be made ahead at this point and refrigerated for several days. Warm gently before continuing.
Stir in the cream, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the soup get hot, but do not boil. Adjust the consistency, thinning with a little more broth if needed.

For the garnish:
Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Fold the Parmesan and 1 tablespoon of the chives into the whipped cream. Grate some of the apple into the bottom of 4 warm soup bowls, and ladle the soup on top. Spoon the Parmesan cream on top of the soup, and garnish with the rest of the chives.

So good!

One Response to “Parsnip and Apple Soup with Parmesan-Chive Foam”

1. Good Cooking with Stockton Briggle: October Edition- Stockton Briggle says:

   November 29, 2011 at 12:59 pm

   [...] Recipes! Parsnip and Apple Soup with Parmesan-Chive Foam Pojarski Smitane Basmati Rice Pilaf Petit Pois a la Francais Glenfiddich Chocolate [...]

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