by fiveandspice
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fiveandspice's Notes:
Expand5 ounces pancetta, cut into small pieces Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon butter Ask a question about this ingredient
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped Ask a question about this ingredient
1 clove garlic, sliced Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 pound potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes (around 1/2 inch) Ask a question about this ingredient
1 medium-small carrot, cut into small cubes Ask a question about this ingredient
1 tablespoon maple syrup Ask a question about this ingredient
5 pears - I used bartlett - peeled, cored, and cut into 1 inch chunks Ask a question about this ingredient
1 1/2 teaspoon salt Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh sage Ask a question about this ingredient
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg Ask a question about this ingredient
3 cups mildly flavored vegetable or chicken broth Ask a question about this ingredient
1/2 cup creme fraiche Ask a question about this ingredient
crumbled blue cheese (a creamy, potent raw milk one is best, if you can get it) for serving Ask a question about this ingredient
salt and ground white pepper to taste Ask a question about this ingredient
In a large soup pot, fry the pancetta bits until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and put on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain.
Ask a question about this stepPour off all but one Tablespoon of the fat in the pot (you don't want to use all of it because then it will overpower the pear), and add in the butter. Heat over medium until foaming. Then, stir in the onion, turn the heat down to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes, until the onion is soft. You basically want the onion to sweat and soften without browning.
Ask a question about this stepStir in the garlic, potato, and carrot, cover again. Turn the heat to medium and cook another 10 minutes. Then, add in the maple syrup, pear, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, thyme, sage and nutmeg. Cook, stirring frequently for 5 minutes to get the pear all coated with the syrup and other flavors.
Ask a question about this stepAdd in the broth, bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook, covered, until the potatoes and pears are soft, about 15 minutes.
Ask a question about this stepBlend in batches until smooth. Then return the blended soup to the pot and stir in the creme fraiche. Taste and add salt and white pepper to taste.
Ask a question about this stepServe with the pancetta bits and blue cheese for sprinkling on top.
Ask a question about this stepOh wow! I'm thrilled you liked it so much! And you know, I bet you'll be able to make it look chef like, just give it a shot!
I made this for Thanksgiving dinner and it was a big hit. Such a beautiful balance of flavors.
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I had the same experience as Minnesotapix. And when served, it did stop time for a moment. We had toasted hazelnuts we were going to use for something else and tossed them on top, too. Absolutely in our Thanksgiving's greatest hits pile.
Thank you Sally Anne. That's so great to hear! And, I really love the hazelnut addition!
I made this for the "opener" of our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. At nearly every step of making this, I was saying to myself, "uh oh, I don't think this is working, probably not going to serve this" (I had made it a day ahead). But at the very end, adding in the creme fraiche, and topping with the pancetta and blue cheese - oh man - it all came together. The layering of flavors was incredible, and seriously - choirs of angels were singing! Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
Wow! Choirs of angels! I'm so incredibly flattered! Really happy you enjoyed it!
I made this soup tonight and it was DELICIOUS!!! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe. I'm definitely keeping this one in the rotation.
Thanks Kate! I'm thrilled you liked it!
Oh the challenging life of a freelancer---a big check for the work I did in September won't arrive until Tueday, so I can't buy any ingredients. I had 4 pears, onions, potatoes and garlic, but no carrots. I did, however, have a persimmon, which is a similar color. No pancetta or other tasty meat, so I caramelized the onions for more flavor. I omitted the sage, and substituted sour cream for the creme fraiche. No bleu cheese so I topped it with some herb-covered goat cheese disks that I cut from a log.
Needless to say, the pear soup tastest delicious and made me forget, for a moment, that all my checks are bouncing until Tuesday.
Oh dear, that does sound like the rough life! :) I'm glad you found such delicious substitutions to use, though!
I love your spirit, and your soup sounds like it was great! I especially like "I did, however, have a persimmon, which is a similar color." Good job.
I just made this soup for a catering/cooking class event I did, titled "When Pigs Fly" - the entire class was centered around the pig and this soup was a fantastic addition. Everyone raved about it!
That's so cool! And, I love that name for a cooking class! I want to take it!
I've been wanting to make this soup for a couple weeks and finaly got around to it this afternoon. It was as delicious as I had expected! Pancetta (or bacon as I used) and blue cheese were perfect garnishes.
Thanks pamelalee!
Fabulous! Used vegetable broth and Gorgonzola. Wonderful with a salad, crusty bread and vino!
Sounds wonderful! I'm so happy you enjoyed it. Thanks for letting me know!
I made this last night, and it was a big hit--lots of questions about the potato-pear ratio, as the flavor was so nice. I used Warren pears and Crater Lake blue.
Oh, how lovely!
This is a keeper!!
Yay! Thanks! I'm glad you like it.
Thank you! I'm so happy that you liked it! And, thanks for letting me know. :)
Made this tonight for dinner and it was just delicious!! Really loved it and am already looking forward to lunch tomorrow :-) Such a wonderful fall dinner with a veggie gratin. Now if our temperatures would get below 85F, I'd be happy. You're going into fall, and we're going into our summer here in SF.
Oh that's so great to hear! Glad you loved it. I had no idea that SF got so hot in the fall. That's crazy! Anyhow, thanks for letting me know, and I also wanted to let you know, we got our first delicata squash this week, and it went straight to making your crispy squash rings. :)
I love the idea of letting the pears shine. The gorgonzola sounds perfect to me, but my guys are blue-cheese-phobic. Do you think a bit of good sharp white cheddar would also work?
Oh yes! I bet it would be delicious with some good white cheddar. Any cheese that's rich and salty that goes with the sweetness of pears.
This hits my palate! I make something similiar but instead of pears, parsnips. Saved!
Thanks SLChopx! You know, I thought about using a little parsnip in the soup, instead of potatoes, but there was absolutely none to be found, yet!
This looks and sounds wonderful!! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks inpatskitchen!
What a lovely combination of flavors, fiveandspice! I am saving this to try when it gets cooler around here (usually by November).
Thank you gingerroot! You know it never occurred to me that the general lack of cold weather in Hawaii makes soup season a lot shorter! Glad to hear it cools off at least a little mid-winter. (I suppose many people wouldn't be glad about that, but I'm a northerner, through and through! :)
I think I'm going to have to make this tomorrow night. I love soups anytime of year, but especially now, and I have never made a pear soup! Thanks so much for posting this!
If you do, please let me know what you think ChezSuzanne. It's an unusual soup, but I really enjoyed it!
Thank you so much Bevi!
Eugenia is the author of the book Well-Preserved and writes about homemade food preservation for the Denver Post's Well-Preserved blog.
Had this soup for lunch at my friend's place today (she is a professional chef) and couldn't believe how wonderful it is! It was almost embarrassing ... the moaning as each velvety spoonful went down! Not sure I can reproduce it to look like what 'the chef' produced but will give it a try. This may become my new addiction! I'm a soup lover and soup maker and this one moves to the top of the favs!