Carrot Ginger Soup

This is maybe the very best thing my aunt Mermer makes. Seriously, SO GOOD. I made it last night but it made a lot so we're having it again tomorrow when we have friends over. I'm adding maple grilled tempeh, cornbread, and a big salad for tomorrow. The recipe is pretty imprecise, so here's what my auntie told me and what I did when I made it last night...

2 lb carrots, chopped
1 stick butter, plus 1 T
4-6 c water...?
one small onion, chopped (~1 c)
2-3 cloves garlic
1/3 -1/2 cup cashews (raw)
1/3 - 1/2 cup cooking sherry (?? i just poured a bunch in...??)
~1/3 cup ginger (half minced half chopped) (i put in probably about 1/2 cup and it was a little too much)
~ 1/8 t cayenne (or to taste)
~ 1/8 t nutmeg (or to taste)
salt to taste
~1/2 cup heavy cream or sour cream (i used cream)



1. in the big ol' pot you're going to use, saute the carrots in 1/8 lb butter (half a stick). after a little bit, add water. (I added 4 cups and later had to add more, but it's better to start out too dry than too wet.) Let simmer 15 minutes.

2. in another pan, saute the onions in the other half stick of butter. when translucent add cashews, when more brown, add garlic. saute until onions are brown/nearly caramelized

3. in yet another pan, saute the ginger in the last 1 T of butter with a lot of sherry. do what you want here, i really don't know how much to add. Just saute a little bit, until the ginger absorbs the butter and sherry. (Mermer said the sherry is kind of important, but she's done without it. If you don't want to buy sherry, maybe some leftover cheap wine?)

4. add everything to the big ol' pot and blend until smooth. May need to add more water here to get it to desired consistency (which = whatever you like)

5. add cayenne, nutmeg, and salt to taste.

6. before serving, add cream, as much as you want.

7. now EAT IT!

Hope it's tasty!!

Holla' 4 Challah!

Here's the challah I baked up last week. So yummy! I would make two modifications to the recipe. The first time I made it, it was definitely on the way to burntown after only 20 minutes in the oven. The second time i made it I turned the oven down to 350, kept a close eye on it, and still took it out early (maybe 20 or so minutes). Maybe my oven is super hot/jankity and yrs would do better...? I'd just recommend keeping a close eye on it because all the egg can make it get really dark really fast. Second, next time i make it i'm going to make the loaves shorter and fatter, so it's not such a long skinny loaf. Anywho, here goes!

Recipe from The New Best Recipe (those cooks illustrated people) p. 752

(side note, this book is the BOMB! super thorough directions and tells you what changes make a difference and what don't...hiiiiighly recommend procuring this one. expensive, though, so maybe steal it?)

• 3-3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour; plus more for dusting work surface

• 1 envelope (~2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast (said better than active dry, which i used and worked fine)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 2 large eggs plus 1 egg separated (save white for egg wash)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water, at room temp
• 1 teaspoon poppy or sesame seeds (optional...= i didn't use)

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together 3 cups of the flour, the yeast, sugar, and salt; set aside. In the bowl of a standing mixer, mix together the 2 eggs, egg yolk, melted butter, and 1/2 cup water. Add the flour mixture; using the dough hook, knead at low speed until ball of dough forms, about 5 minutes, adding the remaining 1/4 cup flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, if necessary. (i did this by hand, no mixer, worked fine) In a small bowl, whisk the eg white together with the remaining 1 Tablespoon water. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the egg wash until ready to use.

2. Place the dough in a very lightly oiled large bowl, turning the dough over to coat with the oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1.5 to 2 hours. Gently press the dough to deflate it, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in size again, 40 - 60 min.

3. transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, one roughly half the size of the other. Divide the large piece into 3 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a 16" long rope about 1" in diameter (next time i make this i'm going to make them shorter and fatter, maybe 12" long?) Line up the ropes of dough side by side and braid them together, pinching the ends of the braid to seal them. Place the braid on a lightly greased baking sheet. Divide the smaller pieces of dough into 3 equal pieces. Roll each pie es into a 16" long rope about 1/2" in diameter. Braid together, pinching the ends to seal. brush some of the egg wash on the top of the large loaf and place the small braid on the larger braid. loosely drape the load with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm place for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the loaf becomes puffy and increases in size by a third.

4. adjust and oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 375 degrees. brush the loaf with the remaining egg wash and sprinkle with the poppy seeds (if using). Bake the loaf for 30 to 40 minutes, or until it is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the side of the loaf reads 190 degrees. Place the baking sheet on a wire rack. let the loaf cool completely before slicing.



That's all! Happy baking, y'all!