Hearty tomato & root vegetable soup

Lake Agnes Tea House

We just came back from a wonderful vacation amidst blue lakes and snow capped Rockies. Almost everyone we spoke with was either an avid hiker, biker or a cross-country backpacker. After our hike up to Lake Agnes, we ate at the famous Lake Agnes Tea House. It is little log cabin in the hanging valley on the shore of the turquoise Lake Agnes. They serve over a hundred types of tea, soup, sandwiches, freshly baked bread etc. Their tomato vegetable soup with barley was fabulous. Served with home-made multigrain bread, I loved it so much that I was willing to hike up the next day just to eat that soup! :D

Today, I tried to recreate that soup with my own twist. I did not have barley at hand, so I left it out. Here it goes.

Serves: 2-3 persons
Preparation time: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients
2-3 small carrots
2 small beetroots
2 tomatoes
1 tsp butter
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1-2 cloves
1-2 cinnamon pieces (about 1")
Salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp brown sugar (optional)
Water

Method

1. In a medium sauce-pan, bring 1 1/2- 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the peeled and diced carrots and beetroots and cover. Continue to cook on low heat till the beetroots are fork tender. Alternatively, you could roast the vegetables at 400F for 20-30 minutes for a smokier taste. Add the two tomatoes into the sauce pan and cook for another five minutes or so, till the skin peels off. Remove from heat. You may choose to peel the tomato skin off, once the tomatoes cool a bit.
2. Once slightly cooled, blend the root vegetables and tomatoes in a blender. Add salt and pepper. 
3. In the same saucepan, heat 1 tsp butter. Add cumin seeds, clove and cinnamon. Once the cumin seeds sizzle, pour the root vegetable and tomato mixture back in. Add 1-2 cups of water, and bring it to a boil. Add brown sugar if desired.



Hearty tomato-root vegetable soup

4. Serve hot with bread of your choice. I ate it with fresh French Baguette :) 

Bon Apetit!

Hetal from Houston

Carrot shaped carrot cake

While I have baked many a cake, I usually frost or glaze them - never mustered enough courage use fondant. I love carrots and carrot cakes. Sadly, my best taste tester (read hubby) does not. Needless to say, I rarely bake carrot cakes. 
So when we invited our friends over this Easter, I decided to bake a carrot cake and cover it with marshmallow fondant. I used my favorite carrot cake recipe here and made a carrot shaped carrot cake. Here it goes.


Preparation time: 
For cake: 10 minutes
For cream cheese frosting: 15 minutes
For fondant rolling/ decorating: 30 minutes + 8 hours rest.
Bake time: 30 minutes + cooling time.


Carrot Cake
Cake Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pans

• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp coarse salt
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature, plus more for pans
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 pound carrots (8 to 10 medium carrots), peeled and shredded
• 1 cups walnuts, finely chopped.

Cake Method:

• Grease and line a 11x9" sheet pan and a 8"x8" square pan (or any other shape) with parchment paper. I used only the sheet pan cake to make the carrot shape. I did not want to reduce the recipe to half, lest it changes the chemistry. You can use the other cake to make a smaller carrot, or any other shape. I just frosted it with cream cheese.
• Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger, and nutmeg.
• Whip butter and sugar (Both white and brown) with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy. Add one egg at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract, water & grated carrots. Beat until well combined. 
• Reduce speed to low, and add flour mixture, then finely chopped walnuts.The batter will be very thick.
• Pour batter into prepared pans, dividing evenly. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

Cream cheese frosting

Frosting Ingredients

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
• 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Frosting Method

• In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. 
• With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar gradually until smooth and creamy. Add the vanilla extract and beat again.

Carrot Shape:

• Cut the sheet cake along the long side into half. 
• Frost one of the halves, with cream cheese frosting. 
• Gently flip the other half over.
• Cut and shape into a carrot, with narrow side being about 3/4" wide.
• Frost entire cake with cream cheese frosting.
• Refrigerate for 40 minutes.

Carrot top:

• Cut a small piece of cake, about 2"x1". Frost with cream cheese. 
• Layer with another piece, and frost completely. Refrigerate for 40 minutes.

Marshmallow fondant:

• Prepare white marshmallow fondant as per this recipe a day ahead. Refrigerate for 8 hours wrapped in cling film. 
• Orange fondant: 



Placing rolled fondant on carved cake

• Pinch tennis ball sized fondant, and microwave for 15 seconds to bring it to soft maleable form.
• Add yellow and red gel food color drops to get orange color. Start with couple drops and add as needed.
• Knead till color is evenly blended.
• Grease counter top thoroughly. With a rolling pin, the orange fondant into 1/2" thick disk. Greasing rolling pin might help the rolling process. Also, sprinkle corn starch/ powdered sugar to keep the fondant from sticking.



Trimmed excess fondant

• Gently lift the rolled fondant and place on the cake.



Lines and indentations to make it look 'real'.

• Trim the excess from sides.
• Use a cheese knife to make random lines on the fondant to resemble a real carrot.
• Green fondant:
• Follow same process to color a small piece of fondant into green, for the carrot top.
• Roll and cover the carrot top. 
• Trim and decorate. 
• Attach to the carrot, using cream cheese frosting as glue.

With green fondant carrot topping

• Everyone at the party seemed pleased, and my best taste tester loved the cake so much, that he finished whatever was left of the cake as a midnight snack!!
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Bon Apetit!
Hetal from Houston


PS. You can use any carrot cake recipe, or even a box mix.