Carrot Ginger Soup with Lime Crème Fraîche

Is there a better feeling than hunkering down for a storm that promises to shut down the city -- or at least shut down your place of employment? I love winter storms.

Yesterday we had the first part of a storm that was forecast to be snow, or sleet, possibly freezing rain, or maybe just rain depending on the track of the storm and the temperature. It's what's known in these parts as the wintry mix.

It snowed and sleeted most of the day without any significant accumulation  but towards late afternoon the storm began to gather in earnest. Both my office and Mike's had early closings and we hurried home to make ready for the storm. I had groceries laid in (thereby sparing myself the hell that is a grocery store before a snowstorm), we built a fire, and spent the evening snug and warm, listening to weather reports and happily anticipating a snow day, or possibly even an ice day.

In the middle of the night I woke to the ping of sleet on the windows. Yes!  Ice closes thing down faster than snow. I think I had the same sort of thrill of anticipation that I might have had at age ten hoping school would close.

This morning we woke to a couple of inches of snow with a frosting of sleet, and sleet still falling. As anticipated, neither of us had to go in to work. Snow day!

The making of soup is almost mandatory on snow days. The choice of this recipe was in large part dictated by what was on hand. It's a recipe I've looked at for ages but haven't been particularly interested in, mainly, I suppose, because I find cooked carrots freakishly and unpleasantly sweet and disturbingly mushy. I'm glad I put my prejudice aside though because this soup is fabulous. The sweetness of the carrots is balanced by both the heat of the jalapeno and cayenne, and the tanginess of the lime and crème fraîche.

This soup was so good that I'm feeling regretful that there's only a small amount to bring to work tomorrow for lunch. I'm also regretful that our snow day is over. The weather has cleared and it's now windy and bitterly cold. My least favorite winter weather.

This recipe is adapted from one found in The 150 Best American Recipes which is the latest in the Best American Recipes series. The recipe was first published in Simply Elegant Soup.

Carrot Ginger Soup with Lime Crème Fraîche

1/2 cup crème fraîche

Juice of 1 lime

Zest of 1 lime, minced

1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion,  roughly diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small jalapeno, seeded and roughly diced

1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and grated

4 large carrots (about 1 pound), peeled and cut in coins

3 to 4 cups chicken broth

Salt

Cayenne pepper

Make Lime Crème Fraîche:

1. Whisk lime juice, zest, and cilantro into crème fraîche. Add salt to taste.

Make soup::

1. Over medium heat, heat olive oil and then add onions, garlic, jalapeno, garlic, ginger and a small pinch of salt. Cook until onions are transluscent but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add carrots, another small pinch of salt, and cook for about five minutes more. Add 3 cups of broth and them simmer until carrots are tender, about 20 minutes.

2. Puree soup in blender until smooth. You may have to do this in batches. Pass through strainer into a clean saucepan. Reheat soup, adding additional broth to achieve the consistency you like. Season to taste with salt and cayenne.

3. Serve the soup with a dollop of the lime crème fraîche on top.

Note: In the original recipe, a turmeric and ginger infused oil was used with olive oil  for cooking the onion mixture and then additional amounts were drizzled on top of the soup before serving. I had no turmeric so I skipped that step  but if I'd had any I would have added a pinch when I was adding the onions.

Comments

[Rebecca]

I don't even work and I still get that feeling! I also like that pioneer sort of feeling I get from putting a dinner together out of what I already have rather than going out to the grocery store.

Wonderful soup and great post!

[Lisa (Homesick Texan)]

There's nothing better than being snowed in, especially if you have enough provisions. What a cozy feeling indeed. And even though I haven't had breakfast yet, I so want to make your Lime Crème Fraîche--it sounds scrumptious!

[Terry B]

There must have been a sale on carrots or something. Bloggers everywhere are making carrot soup. I must say, though, Julie, yours sounds the most interesting. I think the lime creme fraiche is what did it for me.

Enjoy your snow day--sounds cozy and fun. I'm not sure what it would take here in Chicago to get us a snow day.

[ann]

you lucky dogs!! All we got was some slippery ice. When I left for work yesterday it felt like i was walking on ball bearings!
and yes, that soup looks amazing... I'll have to have soupmaster boyfriend make it for me. No alpha cooks in our kitchen! (well, that's a lie, he's soupmaster alpha chef, I'm everything else alpha chef ;-)

[Susan from Food "Blogga"]

I feel cold just from reading your post. ;) According to my mom in RI, everything is covered in ice there.

What a vibrantly colored bowl of soup, and the addition of lime and creme fraiche sounds fantastic. Thanks!

[Tanna]

Lime and jalapeno in a carrot soup and sleet and snow. Wow, that is a combo made in heaven. Funny what it may took to get you over your carrot soup thing. I always enjoy carrot soup and this one looks divine!
Beautiful feeling like a 10 year old out of school!

[sher]

That isn't soup!!! That's a work of art. As soon as I saw it, I thought I was looking at a beautiful painting--the colors and the way the lime creme swirls so beautifully in the carrot soup! I love the whole thing--the recipe, the colors, and the writing in the post!

[Natalia]

That is a beautiful soup. I love the colors and the way you've swirled them. I bet it's delicious.

[Baltimore Snacker]

It is a gorgeous-sounding soup. I always feel bad when I cheer for snow closings because my job shuts down in this kind of weather and so many others' do not. I feel evil, heheh. And then I go back to my hot cocoa and tomato and red pepper soup from Trader Joe's and I stop feeling so bad.

[Charles]

That soup sounds delicious! I was back to work today as well, and the wind and cold had me primed for a good bowl of soup. I opted for something much less elegant, though. Good ol' oyster stew. I'm definitely going to give this a try.

[lobstersquad]

jealous! we haven´t gone below 10ºc this year yet, very annoying, soup-wise. I used to hate cooked carrots, too, but overcame it eventually.

[Abby]

Fabulous picture!

Unfortunately, in the newspaper biz there is no such thing as a snow day. We're like the post office - except we don't close on Sundays!

And I'm with you on mushy carrots. Ick. I do like them roasted, though!

[sandi @ the whistlestop cafe]

Snow Day...I can still remember the feeling of waking up and realizing it was a Snow Day!

Not recently in Alabama for sure!

[the bee]

the bee works for a 24 hr company so alas there was no snow day- just a get your butt to work sooner day. The soup will comfort me after a hard day of work.
I also need something to take the edge off Matt's snow day boredom .
Does Sandra Lee have a Mocktail for him? For me ?

[Lydia]

There is nothing better than making soup on snow days. We had the ice storm here in Rhode Island, too. I made a huge pot of turkey-escarole soup!

[Ari (Baking and Books)]

The soup alone sounds great but that lime creme fraiche make it all sound fantastic!

[DinerGirl]

Delurking to tell you how much I love your site. Is Martick's still open in Balto? I haven't been there in years......

[FAIRFAX]

Yes, Martick's is still open. Morris is about 86 now but he's not slowing down at all.

[Will]

Nice.
Which place of employment was shut down by the storm?

[cazza]

We never get days off work or school. :(

That soup sounds fabulous. How would you transport it for work? Take the creme fraiche along in a separate container? Or reheat it all together?

[cazza]

We never get days off work or school. :(

That soup sounds fabulous. How would you transport it for work? Take the creme fraiche along in a separate container? Or reheat it all together?

[Freya]

It looks beautiful! I love the addition of the lime creme fraiche too!

[angela]

Yummy and the swirls are so cool. I never get stuff to turn out that way.

[blue plate]

I've not had carrot soup, but yours looks so good that I might try it. And it's such a lovely color, too.

[Anne]

Oh my. When I read Lime Creme Fraiche I didn't have to read anything else. I MUST try this. Like you, I'm not crazy about carrots in soup, but I can imagine how the lime and pepper would temper the sweetness. YUM

[Brilynn]

That swirl looks wonderful and soup is definitely the perfect snow day food!

[Andrea]

Oh, the soup looks beautiful! I made carrot curry soup the other day and tried swirling the creme fraiche on top with not so great results. At least it tasted good though!

[Abby]

I made this soup as soon as I read your post and was shocked by how great it is! I have the same aversion to cooked carrots, but figured if you could get over yours, I might get over mine. I'll be making this again and again!

[Mimi]

You are right about a grocery store before a snow storm!

We are having our first big one of the season today. Good thing we had five days to prepare.

[the bee]

Jujubee ... Where are you ?

[Kristen]

I hate snow, but I love being snowed in. Is that a contradiction or what? I hate snow that you still have to function in!
This soup looks fantastic!

[littlebouffe]

I've always made my carrot soup with orange, so I'd be very interested to try this, especially with that jalapeno thrown in. I'll have to give your version a shot.

[Julie]

Rebecca, I love that pioneer spirit thing too although I sometimes extend the pioneer spirit to include walking to the Rite-Aid (through ice and snow!) for things like canned broth.

Lisa, being snowed in with provisions and not a reason in the world to leave the house is one of the coziest feelings I know.

Terry B, you and other Chicagoans would have a good laugh at the way snow is treated here. Two inches is enough to throw everyone into a panic. Four inches will close the city. If there is the slightest hint of snow in the weather forecast there is a constant crawl on the bottom of the screen about the upcoming snow.

ann, having your own personal soup master sounds like a wonderful thing.

Susan, this time of year the cold makes me wish I lived in some place nice and warm like southern California. But spring is just around the corner and nothing is as glorious as an east coast spring.

Tanna, lime and jalapeno and sleet and snow are a great combination. I reccomend it highly.

Thanks, Sher! It did feel a little like sunshine in a bowl. Just the rhing for a grey day.

Natalia, thanks. The swirly thing does make a pretty presentation. And it's fun. A little bit like painting but with a fork instead of a brush.

Baltimore Snacker, for years I had one of those jobs where I never had a snow day off so I don't feel too guilty about enjoying them now.

Charles, we've definitely had some soup weather here. I'm glad we seem to finally have moved into warmer weather. And oyster soup sounds like a great thing for a cold day.

Ximena, as much as I like a snowstorm, your weather sounds pretty ok to me. Because while I love a snowstorm dealing with the cold aftermath is not quite as fun and exciting.

Abby, I am most familiar with not having snow days, and having worked through them and now getting to stay home for them, I can definitely say they are a lot more fun at home.

Sandi, I think some things just stay with you!

Bets, funny! I remember snow being just a "Get your butt to work earlier day." Hope yours was ok.

Lydia, that was some big storm! Turkey-escarole soup sounds like a good thing for an ice storm.

Ari, the lime creme fraiche is excellent, although the soup is even good without it. But ok, it's better with it.

Thanks, DinerGirl! I like your site too. I have never been to Martick's and I know I should before Morris retires.

FAIRFAX, thanks for the info. It's a place I've always wanted to go but somehow never have...

Will, what -- Thom didn't fill you in on the details?

Cazza, do you actually ever get snow in Melbourne? And yes, I would put the lime creme fraiche in one container and the carrot soup in another and transport them to work that way.

Thanks, Freya! The lime creme fraiche was definitely good stuff.

Angela, I was just lucky that my swirls turned out that well.

blueplate, I would recommend it. And it's good for you too.

Anne, this soup was actually perfectly balanced. Startlingly good.

Brilynn, soup and snowdays are natural partners. You need a big pot of steaming something on the stove when the snow starts to fall.

Abby, I was shocked by how good it was also! I'm glad you liked it.

Mimi, there is nothing worse than a grocery store before a snow storm! Sounds as if you really got hammered with some big storms out in Wisconsin lately.

Kristen, I love being snowed in, and I love snow when it first falls but I've usually had enough after a day or two. Of course, we don't usually deal with anything like the snow amounts you do in the midwest.

littlebouffe, this is the first carrot soup I've ever made but I thought it was delicious.

[Christine]

That looks and sounds divine! Carrot with jalapeno and cayenne and creme fraiche? I have to try this!

[aria]

mmmm, i LOVW carrot and ginger soup! always makes you feel so healthy too . your recipe looks divine! oy, what i would do for a storm her in this desert!!!