Pear Soup, Ginger, Buttery Leeks

4 from 1 ratings

This hot soup is sweet and rich, mostly thanks to creamy pears, which are balanced by earthy leeks and brightened with a spicy hit of ginger. Although it's pretty simple, you can see that we're leaving juxtaposition behind and moving into a more profound melding of flavors in the dishes. So you'll want a more acidic palette of flavors in the dishes surrounding this one. When you're at the store, remember the rule for fruit: If pears don't smell like anything, they won't taste like anything. — Vegetarian Dinner Parties Click Here to See More Soup Recipes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large leek (white and pale green part only), halved lengthwise, carefully washed, and thinly sliced
3 pound very ripe bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
¾ cup dry white wine, such as chardonnay
5 cup vegetable broth
1 2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
1 teaspoon salt

Directions

Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over low heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the pears and cook until quite soft, about 15 minutes, stirring very often.
Use the back of a wooden spoon to mash the pears against the side of the pan. Stir in the wine. Cook, stirring often, until the wine is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
Stir in the broth and ginger. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer slowly until thickened and creamy, about 30 minutes. Stir in the salt before serving.