Ruby Red Beet Soup
A bowl of soup at the Chambre Neuf in Chamonix, France inspired this recipe. It has become a favorite fall comfort food of mine. The warm and earthy flavors of the beets are brightened with lemon rind and a touch of balsamic vinegar. The soup is sweet but savory, creamy, and wonderfully fragrant. And if that isn’t enough to convince you to make it, consider how beautiful it is! The ruby red color of this soup makes any meal a festive affair. Warm up with this soup tonight.
As a meal, the soup is great with a poached or fried egg floating at its center or with a dusting of herbs. It is good hot or cold. People usually take one bite of this soup and say, “Oh man this is good!” before they eat it with abandon. Don’t be surprised if you get addicted to it too.
This recipe makes enough for four generous bowls.
Gather these ingredients and follow the directions below to create this colorful and delicious soup.
1 1/2 (700g) pounds cooked beets, skins removed and cut into bite size pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 small sweet onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, stems removed
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/2 cup cream
1 scant tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup creme fraise, sour cream, or whole fat greek yogurt, and a bit more for serving
Prepare the beets by placing them in a pot and covering them completely with water. Bring the pot to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover the pot (leave the lid ajar to prevent overboiling) and simmer for 40 minutes or until the beets are tender all the way through when pierced with a knife. If they are small they will take less time to cook. Once done, drain the hot water, submerge the beet in cold water, and peel the beets by rubbing the skin away once they are cool enough to handle. Cut the beets into bite size pieces and set aside.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the onions and garlic and cook until fragrant on medium heat, about two minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the the thyme, salt, and pepper and continue sauteing for three minutes. Turn off heat.
Add the chicken broth, beets, and lemon zest to the pot. If you have an immersion blender, blend in the pot until smooth and creamy. Otherwise you will need to blend the the soup in a blender in batches until smooth (make sure the liquid is not hot or it will cause the blender to pop its top while blending).
Once your soup is well blended, return the pot to a low flame. Add the cream and stir to combine it with the soup. Add the creme fraise. Stir to combine. Add the balsamic and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt.
Heat the soup to warm, ladle into bowls, serve with an additional dollop of creme fraise and a few thyme or Italian parsley leaves and serve with crusty bread for dipping.