in the kitchen: beet and carrot puree with nutmeg cream

ooo, that sounds fancy, doesn't it?  well, it's basically a fluffy, creamy version of borscht, minus the potatoes.  i came up with it last night as a way to use up some of my sad vegetables that i've been neglecting and some other bits and pieces that needed to be used up in the fridge.  veeery tasty.  because i made this up and am really awful at measuring, the following measurements are estimated.  adjust it to suit your tastes.  i also made a panini with ciabatta, provolone, gorgonzola, and caramelized onions.  mmmmm.  match made in heaven.  (sorry this is late, by the way.  but better late than never!)

beet and carrot puree with nutmeg and cream (or: ruby slipper soup)

• 1 medium beet
• 2 tsp butter
• 2 tsp oil
• 1 large carrot
• 1 large celery rib
• 1/2 medium onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 Tbs tomato paste 
• 1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp to 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp corn starch 
• 1 tsp cold water
• 1/4 cup whipped cream
• dash nutmeg

directions
1.  preheat the oven to 375 degrees. wash the beet, then put it on a large sheet of aluminum foil and drizzle with a little bit of oil.  fold the foil up around the beet and crimp it shut.  put the packet in the oven and roast the beat for 25-40 minutes or until tender.

2. in the meantime, dice carrot, celery, onion, and garlic into small pieces. heat the butter and oil in a medium-sized saucepan on medium-low heat. add the vegetables to the saucepan and sweat the vegetables at medium-low heat until they are softened, about 10-15 minutes.  (my stove tends to run very hot, so you may need to turn up the heat a bit.)

3. add the tomato paste to the saucepan and stir to combine it with the vegetables.  cook for an additional two minutes.  add the low sodium chicken broth and stir to mix everything together.  mix the 1tsp corn starch with 1tsp cold water until smooth and add that to the pot.  add salt.  bring the mixture to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat again and let it simmer covered for five minutes.

4.   pour 1/4 cup cream into a clean bowl.  beat it on high until it's thickened.  add the dash of nutmeg to taste and then beat until the cream is in soft peaks.  chill in the refrigerator.

5.  hopefully your beet is done by now.  (if not, just add more liquid to the soup and let it simmer some more.)  remove the beet from the oven and open the packet.  peel and dice the beet, then add it to the saucepan.  simmer the soup for an additional five minutes.  (the beet skin is theoretically supposed to slip off really easily.  if it's too hot to handle or it's not slipping off, cut the beet in half, turn it over on the flat side, spear it with a fork, and cut the skin off with a knife.)

6.  taste the soup and adjust the salt as needed.  pour the soup into a blender.  make sure that you don't fill it up more than halfway.  (you may need to work in batches.)  cover the top of the blender with an old towel that you don't mind getting stained pink.  (if your blender has a lid that comes apart, you can take out the middle part and just cover that.  you just need somewhere for the steam to escape.)  pulse the blender a few times to get things moving, then turn it on high to puree the soup. (if you're working in batches, puree all of the soup, then pour it back into the saucepan and stir it to combine.)

7.  serve soup warm with a dollop of the whipped cream on top.  this serves two.