Help Me Improve This Recipe-THE RESULT

This weekend, I made a Silver Palate recipe of Carrot and Orange Soup. The caption described it as a best seller around holiday time, so I thought it would be an ideal starter for an upcoming dinner I'm hosting. Well, I found it boring. Basically, it is softened onions, with added carrots and chicken broth. Orange juice is added after pureeing the vegetables, and the only seasoning is salt and pepper. The flavors don't seem to come together very well. Today, I added a little grated nutmeg with a drizzle of maple syrup and it still doesn't interest me. My only other thought is too add a little cream to tone down the carrot taste. Any suggestions?

Ginger. Minced fresh ginger.

The ginger would be great in there.

Maybe try roasting the carrots before adding them into the stock and pureeing? A little bit of diced chipotle in adobo or some jalapeno would be interesting, but it would take it in a little different direction.

As I was reading the recipe I was thinking "GINGER" but of course everyone else suggested that.

Thinking of what else I might do -- if I wanted this to be impressive I would probably play around a little with subliminal stuff. A bit of sugar, not really enough to make it sweet, perhaps your carrots happened not to be sweet enough. I might try a bit of something like acorn squash or tarragon or vanilla or parsnip or curry powder or saffron or turmeric or something... Hmm, garam masala!?

F

i like the ginger idea; and the curry thing will work too; but lose the orange in that case. and maybe cook the soup with the ginger briefly then strain out the ginger - all you need is the subtle flavor.

the original recipe would probably work better as an 'amuse bouche' - i think they call it in france - a little thing when you sit down while the final preps are made on whatever is next. and would it be better cold?

I like the ginger idea, and I am thinking of using that as well as adding a dollop of heavy cream, whipped with a little orange zest. I'll do a trial run tomorrow evening.

Thank you for the suggestions.

[Jenise]

Ginger. Minced fresh ginger.

Agreed. Would go further, though: ginger and turmeric.

Ginger. Minced fresh ginger.

Agreed. Would go further, though: ginger and turmeric.

Now you're just trying to curry favour..... (but I agree)

I agree with the ginger. But, I would also try adding a touch of sherry vinegar and/or balsamic. I think what is missing is a bit of acid, and the orange alone is just not enough. I would stay away from sugar, as I find that carrots have been so over-engineered that most of them are already too sweet (as is most corn). That is why I belive the addition of acid will probably add a much needed counterbalance.

Add me to the ginger bandwagon. I'd also try a good paprika.

Jo Ann makes a good point about the sugar/acid balance. Ginger's good. Perhaps cardamom.

This may sound nutso, but maybe the soup needs a little umami. A tiny drop or two of good fish sauce won't make it taste fishy, but will add some depth. Try in a sample to see if it works. If no fish sauce, perhaps a drop of Worcestershire.

Taking into account the many helpful suggestions, I added ground ginger and cumin to taste. I topped it with a dollop of heavy cream, whipped, in which I folded grated orange zest. It looked beautiful and it was very flavorful. My guests loved it. Should I ever choose to make this again, I would simply eliminate the orange juice, and keep everything else. BTW, ginger alone did not jazz up the soup, but the addition of cumin made a huge difference.

Taking into account the many helpful suggestions, I added ground ginger and cumin to taste. I topped it with a dollop of heavy cream, whipped, in which I folded grated orange zest. It looked beautiful and it was very flavorful. My guests loved it. Should I ever choose to make this again, I would simply eliminate the orange juice, and keep everything else. BTW, ginger alone did not jazz up the soup, but the addition of cumin made a huge difference.

Good job, Diane -- way to go Yes, I can see that the smokiness of the cumin would pick up the flavors. Orange and carrots are a natural together. It's one of my favoraite ways to cook carrots (slivered ginger, orange juice, a dollop of butter at the end). But, I agree that the orange juice in the soup would not give that zing you were looking for. Let us know if you try another variation that you like.