“Why Am I Not In Gascony The Week After Labor Day?” Carrot And Red Pepper Soup

1. 1

   Melt 2 T of the butter in a 2 qt. saucepan. Add the shallots and the carrots. Give them a stir in the warm butter. Cover them with a round of buttered wax paper, put the lid on the pot and sweat them, over medium heat, until they're all nicely relaxed and exuding their sweet juices. This should take about ten minutes.

2. 2

   Lift the wax paper and add the pepper, the tomato and the sage. Give it all another stir, replace the wax paper and let the pepper, tomato and sage add their perfumes to the mix. Replace the wax paper, cover the pot again, turn the heat to low and allow the mix of vegetables and herbs to sweat for another ten minutes.

3. 3

   After ten minutes, the vegetables and sage should all be happily bubbling in some very aromatic juices. Add the bouillon cube and the water. Turn up the heat, bring the soup to a simmer and allow it to cook until the carrots are soft.

4. 4

   When the carrots are soft. Remove the pot from a heat and, using a hand-held immersion blender, puree the soup. Return the pot to the heat and add the cream, stirring to incorporate. Keep the soup warm over a very low flame, but do not bring it to a boil.

5. 5

   In a small skillet, melt the remaining butter and add the cubes of bread. Fry them until they are hot and crisp all over.

6. 6

   Serve the soup garnished with the hot, buttery croutons.

7. 7

   Raise a nice glass of red to Lulu Peyraud, Richard Olney and the intelligence of cooks who can teach us that simple cooking is, sometimes, the best cooking.

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