Majestic Red Prince® Apple Soup
This surprisingly hearty soup is just what the doctor ordered on a cold and blustery day – move over chicken noodle! Although the consistency suggests it could be high in calories, it is surprisingly low cal and gluten free. Made with few ingredients, the intense flavour comes from roasting the apples to caramelize them, which creates a smooth and luscious finish on the palate. For those not watching their waistline, a dollop of Mascarpone and toasted walnuts takes this soup to another dimension that will have you begging for more.
Ingredients:
6 – Large Red Prince® Apples
1 tsp (5 mL) – Kosher salt
2 tbsp (30 mL) – Unsalted butter
3 – Large shallots, minced [approx. ½ cup] (125 mL)
Optional* – 2 leeks, trimmed and cut into small pieces
¼ cup (50 mL) – Dry cooking sherry
4 cups (1 Litre) – Vegetable stock
1 tbsp (15 mL) – Fresh minced thyme
Garnish (optional):
½ cup (125 mL) – Mascarpone cheese
½ cup (125 mL) – Chopped toasted walnut pieces
*The leeks were added by Chef D while featuring this on CTV Kitchener-Waterloo and CHCH in Hamilton.
PER SERVING: 256 calories, 14 g fat, 9 g sat. fat, 0.5 g trans fat, 953 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrates, 3 g fibre, 3 g sugar, 40 g protein.
Method:
Makes 6-8 servings
Preheat oven to 350° F. (175° C)
Wash and dry apples. Half and core [with a melon baler or small spoon] and place skin side down in a greased baking dish and sprinkle with ½ tsp (2.5ml) of salt.
Roast on the middle rack in oven for 1 ½ hours, until you see apple juice caramelized in the bottom of the pan. Remove from oven and set aside.
In a 3 quart pot, sauté shallots in butter and thyme, over medium high heat, until shallots are slightly browned – about 10 to 15 minutes. If you are adding leeks, add them here too, to soften.
Deglaze pan with sherry and stir till liquid is absorbed. Pour in vegetable stock and add roasted apples [caramelized juice and all] and stir to combine all ingredients. Simmer on stove top for about 15 minutes.
Remove pot from heat and ladle soup into a blender and blend until soup becomes creamy in consistency [approx. 3 minutes]. Return soup to pot and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Alternately, you may use a hand blender and blend ingredients directly in the pot until soup is creamy in texture, and then continue to simmer for another 10 minutes.
Serve soup in heated bowls with a dollop of Mascarpone and a sprinkle of toasted walnut pieces.
Chef’s Tip:
For a complete gluten-free meal, serve this soup with the Gluten-Free Red Prince Apple Oatcake Crackers.