Happiest Plates On Earth: Spiced Carrot Soup With Roasted Salmon And Honey Rosemary Scones- Inspired By ‘The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh’

Oh bother!

This one was a bit of a head- scratcher.  The Winnie The Pooh ‘franchise’, as it were, is one of the only multi- movie entries on this list.  I previously made a Carrot Cake Cheesecake here, inspired by 2011’s Winnie The Pooh, but I was only halfway done with the Hundred Acre Crew.

As I prepared to travel back to the Wood, I was faced with the question of how to approach what is essentially the same movie again.  There aren’t really any themes or characters that are different between the two films, so I had to find other differences.  In this case, I chose to go from a dessert to more of an appetizer course.

This carrot soup, representing Rabbit,  is thick and rich and very comforting.  It has a balance and roundness to it that makes you want to keep going back for another bite.  With the tops of the carrots, I made a quick pesto with toasted walnuts to add a crunch to the dish.

When thinking about how to find inspiration in these characters, I turned to my favorite lunchbox-toting character: Gopher.  I pan roasted salmon fillets and then carmelized some slices of yellow squash, two items that made Pooh’s mouth water when he was decidedly stuck in Rabbit’s front door.

Finally, I made some honey and rosemary scones to use as croutons in the soup.  I love savory scones, and these rosemary scones were the original germ of an idea I had for this dish.  I made them over a year ago and fell in love with them.  I folded in some honey and lemon soft cheese, sea salt honey, and lots of fresh rosemary and then sprinkled them with course sea salt before baking them.  They were fluffy and savory and added a great additional texture to this dish.  I had to send the leftovers to work with my husband so I wouldn’t eat the entire container.

 

But you’re not here to here me jabbering on about how many tiny scones I can fit in my mouth at once (three!), so let’s get to that recipe!

 

 

Spiced Carrot Soup With Roasted Salmon And Honey Rosemary Croutons

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 2 Hours

Cook Time: 1 1/2 Hours

 

Honey, Cheese and Rosemary Scones

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, well chilled

2 eggs

2/3 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used a honey & lemon cheese, but parmesan or gruyere would also work)

1/4 teaspoon lavender extract ( totally optional!)

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

2 tablespoons heavy cream

Sea salt

 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add the cold butter in chunks and pulse in the food processor until crumbly.  In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk.  Stir the eggs into the flour mixture until just mixed.  Fold in the rest of the ingredients until mixed.  Press the dough into a small lined baking dish and place in the fridge for one hour to chill fully.

 

Flip chilled dough out onto a floured surface and coat the top with flour.  Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter, slice the dough into small triangles or squares and lay on a parchment-lined sheet pan.  Brush the tops of the scones with heavy cream and then sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until they are golden brown on the top.

 

Roasted Carrot Soup

3 bunches carrots, washed and sliced

1 onion, peeled and sliced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and separated

8 cups vegetable stock

1/4 cup honey

2 teaspoons cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon fresh nutmeg

1 teaspoon coriander

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 shakes of Tabasco

1 tablespoon fish sauce

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Cut the tops off of the carrots and save for later.  Drizzle carrots, onions, and garlic with olive oil and roast in a 375 degree oven until the carrots are browning and tender.  In a pot on the stove top, combine the remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer.  When the vegetables are tender, combine them in the blender with the brother and blend until totally smooth.  Keep warm until ready to serve.

 

Pan Roasted Salmon and Squash

4 fillets fresh salmon, skin off

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 yellow squash

2 tablespoons butter

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Place the butter in a cast iron skillet on the stove and melt.  Slice the squash and brown in the butter.  Remove from the pan and add olive oil.  Season the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and brown on both sides, leaving the center translucent.

 

Carrot Top and Walnut Pesto

1 cup carrot tops

1/4 cup toasted walnuts

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 tablespoons creme fraiche

 

Place all ingredients except the creme fraiche in the food processor and blend.  Set aside for plate garnish.

Carefully ladle soup into a bowl.  Place a portion of salmon into the bowl, as well as slices of squash and then top with pesto and creme fraiche and several scones.

 

This dish was warm and inviting and the perfect thing to eat on a cold and blustery day.  Give it a try (or at least make these scones.  Seriously, they’re awesome!)