Chilled Beet And Sauerkraut Soup With Horseradish And Crème Fraîche Recipes

CHILLED BEET-AND-SAUERKRAUT SOUP WITH HORSERADISH AND CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375. Wash the beets, and trim only their stem ends, leaving a little of the stems attached. Crowd beets in a single layer in a roasting pan, season lightly with salt and pour in about an inch of water (less if the beets are small, more if they're large). Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and roast until a skewer slides easily through the beets, about an hour.
• When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel. Trim away any fibrous root ends, and cut into ½-inch cubes. Clean the fennel, keeping tough outers for another purpose. Dice the fennel and onion into pieces slightly smaller than the beet cubes. Slice the garlic. Slice the cabbage to about the size of the sauerkraut.
• Set a large pot over medium heat, pour in enough oil to cover its bottom and cook the fennel and onion with a small pinch of salt until they soften. Add the sliced cabbage and garlic, and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the beets, sauerkraut and ½ cup of the sauerkraut liquid, then enough water to barely cover. Add a small splash of vinegar and the mushroom butts (if you're using them). Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Chill the soup.
• Taste the soup, and add remaining sauerkraut juice to season instead of salt. Serve with a spoonful of crème fraîche, a little grated horseradish and a few grinds of black pepper.

BEET SOUP WITH HORSERADISH CREAM

Steps:

• In medium bowl, stir together sour cream and horseradish. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• In 6-quart stock pot over moderate heat, heat oil until hot but not smoking. Add onions, celery, and garlic and sauté until onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add beets and stir until lightly coated with oil. Add 8 cups water, cover, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until beets are tender and easily pierced with fork but not falling apart, about 1 hour.
• Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice, sugar, coriander, salt, and pepper. Serve hot, topped with horseradish cream, or serve chilled.
• Variation:
• : If you plan on serving this soup at two seders and want some variety on the second night, try this twist that combines Eastern European knaidlach (matzoh balls) and Middle Eastern kibbeh (meatballs): Prepare matzoh ball dough (you can use a packaged mix) and chill at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together ground beef or lamb, chopped onion, chopped celery, chopped fresh mint, a pinch of cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Form the meat into mini-meatballs. Wrap matzoh ball dough around each meatball to form "knaidlach kibbeh." Boil the balls according to the package directions (the meat will cook inside them). Place two balls in each bowl of hot soup.

SAUERKRAUT AND RED BEET BORSCHT

Steps:

• Wash, peel, and chop beets into bite sized pieces.
• In a large heavy skillet melt 2 tablespoons butter and add beets, sugar, tomato paste. Brown for a minute and add lemon juice. Saute a few minutes more and cover and let the beets simmer in juices until cooked through.
• Peel and chop onion and saute in two tablespoons of butter in a stock pot on low heat until glassy.
• Add sauerkraut and chicken stock and cook until the sauerkraut is tender. Add red beet mixture and stir until blended. If beets are still not done all the way bring soup to a low boil until cooked.
• Remove soup from stove and can add sour cream to make it a lighter rose color or wait and garnish with a dollop of sour cream after ladeling soup into bowls. Sprinkle parsley over the top and serve with slices of dark chewy bread.

ROASTED BEET SOUP WITH CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap beets in foil and roast until tender when pierced with fork, about 1 hour. Cool. Peel beets. Cut 1/4 of 1 beet into 1/4-inch cubes; reserve for garnish. Cut remaining beets into 1/2-inch pieces.
• Melt butter with oil in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leek, onion, and celery and cook until beginning to brown, stirring frequently, about 13 minutes. Stir in ginger, allspice, white pepper, and 1/2-inch beet pieces. Cook until vegetables begin to stick to bottom of pot, stirring frequently, about 7 minutes. Add 2 cups water, bay leaf, thyme sprig, and parsley sprig. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until vegetables are very tender, about 25 minutes. Remove bay leaf, thyme sprig, and parsley sprig. Cool soup slightly. Working in batches, puree soup in blender with cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, cover, and refrigerate.)
• Gently rewarm soup (do not boil). Divide between 2 bowls. Garnish each with 1 tablespoon crème fraîche. Sprinkle with reserved beet cubes.

CHILLED BEET SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375°F Put the beets and garlic on a large sheet of aluminum foil. Scatter on the orange zest and thyme, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with the olive oil. Fold up the sides of the foil and crimp to make a tight packet. Put over a baking sheet and get it into an oven for 1 hour.
• Open the packet and check the beets for tenderness by piercing each beet with the tip of a sharp knife and set aside for 20 minutes. If the beets are hard after piercing, continue baking until tender.
• Using a tough paper towel, rub the skin off the beets using both hands and cut them into chunks. Peel the baked garlic cloves and discard the thyme springs and the orange zest, saving any juices in the foil.
• Drop one third of the beet chunks, the garlic, and any juice collected in the foil, some of the honey and chicken broth. Enough to make a smooth puree while blending. Transfer to a soup container. I recommend doing this part in batches, so the puree can blend better.
• When you are done pureeing, add the orange juice and red wine vinegar, and stir. Also, season to taste with salt and pepper. I like this soup a little tangy so I add a little more of the red wine vinegar.
• Refrigerate the soup for at least 4 hours or until really chilly, serve in soup bowls or cups with 1 tsp of sour cream and ENJOY!

LEEK OR SPINACH SOUFFLé PUDDING

Steps:

• Sweat the leeks in 100 grams of butter with salt until just barely beginning to brown and totally dry, about 10 minutes.
• Make a béchamel by melting the remaining butter in a small pot, then adding the flour, stirring to combine, and then slowly adding the milk, whisking, until it boils and thickens.
• Let cook 2 to 3 minutes. Turn off burner.
• In a blender, blend the vegetables and béchamel until totally smooth. Add the Parmesan and then the yolks, one at a time, until it is all incorporated. Pour into a large mixing bowl.
• Preheat oven to 325. Place a medium- to high-sided ovenproof container into which a loaf pan or 1 1/2- or 2-quart soufflé mold can fit on a rack in the middle of the oven. Heat water in a kettle. Fill the container in the oven about halfway, keeping extra water for filling more once you've put the soufflé pudding in.
• Beat the whites to stiff peaks.
• Lightly butter the pan or mold.
• Gently fold a third of the beaten whites into the vegetable, béchamel and yolk mixture to lighten it. Then fold in the rest, and add to the pan or mold. Place this into the water bath in the oven. Water should come 2/3 of the way up its sides. Lightly cover with a loose piece of buttered or oiled aluminum foil.
• Cook for 1 1/2 hours, or a little more, until the soufflé has risen at least an inch above the pan or mold - remove foil when the soufflé begins to push against it - and the top cracks. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.