“Nobody loves me, nobody cares.  Nobody picks me peaches and pears.” -Shel Silverstein, American writer, poet, and composer

It seems like you can’t go anywhere to eat in Brooklyn these days that doesn’t have a version of this soup on the menu.  (This, and apple cider doughnuts.  What’s the deal with those anyway?  They’re everywhere!)  The first time I saw the unexpectedly lovely combination of parsnip and pear was at the amazing Marlow & Sons restaurant in Williamsburg a few years back, and since then it’s managed to mutate and invade restaurant after restaurant, like a delicious distant cousin of The Blob.

I’m usually bored and put off by such obvious trends, but it’s like this soup just won’t leave me alone, constantly poking me in the shoulder and reminding me how delicious it was at Marlow.  I decided to get into the lab, rattle a few ingredients around, and see what shakes down.  The addition of ginger seemed to me to be a reasonable enough variation.  It will work with pears nicely, and since parsnips are a cousin of carrots, and carrots and ginger are classic companions, I figured I couldn’t really go wrong.  It worked out wonderfully, and added a really nice warmth to the soup that’s perfect for autumn.  The cool, clean chive cream is a perfect partner, countering the sweet spice of the soup nicely.  And yeah, it also makes the presentation look awful purty too.

Ingredients:

For the soup:

Neutrally-flavored oil, such as vegetable or Canola

1 medium onion, washed, peeled, and cut into chunks roughly 1/2″ in size

5 parsnips, washed, peeled, and cut into chunks roughly 1/2″ in size

2 pears, washed, peeled, and cut into chunks roughly 1/2″ in size (NOTE:  I used Comice pears.)

2 cloves garlic, peeled, and smashed

1″ piece of ginger root, peeled and roughly chopped

Water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock (NOTE:  I used a combination of chicken stock and water.)

1 bay leaf

1 sprig of thyme

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp. nutmeg

Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

For the chive cream:

1/2 cup sour cream

Milk

2 tbsp. chopped chives

Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

For the soup:

1.  In a large pot, add just enough of the oil to coat the bottom, and place the pot over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the onion, stirring to coat the onion with the oil.  Sweat the onions in the oil until translucent but not browned, about 5 minutes or so.

2.  Add parsnips, pears, garlic cloves, and ginger, and cook an additional five minutes or so, or until they begin to soften slightly.  Add just enough water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock to come up to the top of the vegetables and pears.  Toss in the bay leaf and whole thyme sprig, stem and all, and bring to a boil.  As soon as the liquid boils, turn the heat down to a gentle simmer, and let the mixture bubble away on the stove until you can easily split one of the parsnip chunks with a fork, about 30-45 minutes.

3.  Using an immersion blender, regular blender, food processor, or food mill, purée the mixture until smooth but still textured, and return to the pot.  The mixture will be thick.

4.  Add the heavy cream and nutmeg and stir to incorporate.  If the soup is still too thick, add some more water, chicken stock, or vegetable stock until the desired consistency is reached.  Season to taste with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

For the chive cream:

1.  Place the sour cream in a small mixing bowl.  Add the milk, about a tablespoon at a time, and mix with a fork until desired consistency is reached.  (NOTE:  You don’t want it too thick, and you don’t want it runny and liquid-y.  The goal is just to thin out the cream slightly with the milk.)  Add all but a teaspoon or so of the chopped chives, and season to taste with kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper.

To serve:

1.  Ladle hot soup into bowls and top with a dollop of the chive cream.  Sprinkle some of the leftover chopped chive on top and serve.

Yield: About 4 servings of yummy autumn goodness