Buttermilk Bisque With roasted turnips, pears and leeks
Warm up from the inside out with this creamy, “winter white” soup. Or serve it chilled! Roasting the produce adds another layer of flavor, and even turnip-haters will find those root veggies tasty. Serve with cornbread and cracklins.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 3 large turnips (about 4 cups), peeled and cubed
- 5–6 ripe, firm pears, peeled, quartered and cored
- 3–4 leeks, white parts only, washed and roughly chopped
- 4 heads garlic
- 8 ounces extra virgin olive oil
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh rosemary leaves
- 3 cups whole buttermilk
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- 4 tablespoons butter
Directions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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Toss turnips, pears and leeks with ¼ cup olive oil. Scatter on parchment-lined baking pan.
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Cut top off of whole heads of garlic to expose cloves. Place into a small baking dish and pour 8 ounces of olive oil over heads of garlic. Roast alongside vegetables. Remove garlic from oven after 25–30 minutes and separate garlic from oil to cool, reserving oil. Roast vegetables for a total of 35–40 minutes, tossing after first 20 minutes.
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Squeeze cooled garlic cloves into a food processor, along with roasted vegetables, celery and rosemary. Add 1–2 cups each of buttermilk and broth (depending on size of processor). Purée until smooth. Pour into pot with remaining buttermilk and broth and heat gently. Add seasonings and butter.
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Garnish with a drizzle of the roasted garlic oil, plus a sprinkle of cracklins and cornbread crumbs (optional).
