Carrot Soup

Ingredients

• 4 quarts stock from boiled mutton or beef leg
• beef bones
• 6 large carrots
• 2 large onions
• 1 turnip
• salt
• pepper
• cayenne
• 3 oz butter
• 2 lb carrots
• 2 quarts stock or gravy soup

Method

This is a carrot-forward soup built on two principles: a deep, flavoured stock and the complete breakdown of the vegetable into silk. The route you take depends on whether you have time for the full infusion method or need speed.

Start with your stock. If building from scratch, use beef or mutton bones with water, onion halves (unpeeled, for colour), and the turnip cut into chunks. Simmer hard — not a timid bubble but a rolling simmering, which drives the emulsification of collagen and fat into the liquid. Three hours is the minimum; four is better. Skim the surface for the first twenty minutes to remove the grey foam that clouds the broth. Strain through muslin. You should have roughly two quarts of clean, slightly gelatinous liquid.

Peel and slice the carrots into thin rounds, no thicker than 3mm — thickness matters because it governs whether you finish in 45 minutes or two hours. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot and add the carrots without browning. The butter should coat them; maintain a gentle heat, stirring occasionally. The carrots will release their own liquid and begin to soften. After 40 minutes, they should collapse slightly under a wooden spoon — this is your signal to pour in the strained stock.

Simmer until the carrot pieces disintegrate when pressed against the side of the pot. This usually takes another 30 to 40 minutes. You're not aiming for "tender"; you're aiming for complete breakdown.

Pass the entire contents through a fine sieve or food mill, using the back of a ladle to force the softened carrot through. The result is a thick puree. Return it to the pot, thin with a splash more stock if it's denser than single cream, and bring to a simmer. Season with salt, white pepper, and cayenne — start with a pinch of cayenne and taste; it's hot. Skim any butter that rises to the surface. Serve immediately, as hot as the bowl will bear.