Hello all,

Hope you are all well.

Once again, I have to thank you for supporting Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple. It has been very exciting to see your baking results (amazing results!) and read all your rave reviews. Keep on tagging me on Instagram and I will continue to repost your photos.

A few other tidbits about the new book:

I made a video tutorial for Food 52 for the challah recipe in Cannelle et Vanille Bakes Simple. If you are a visual learner, this might be for you. You can watch it here.

Speaking of videos, I will be releasing two more on-demand video tutorials this week. One for baguettes (both sourdough and baker’s yeast versions) and one for tarts and pastry. They are comprehensive and detailed. The recipes are in my new book so I don’t want you to feel like you have to watch them to be successful, but if you like to dig deeper into the recipe, it might be helpful. I will be offering discounts to those who already own the book.

If you are looking to gift signed copies of my book for the holidays, Book Larder, Now Serving, and Elliott Bay Books have them.

My friends at Vestige have a limited amount and exclusive signed 5x7 prints of some of my photos (matte paper stock) that they are including with every book purchase.

I will be teaching an online baking class for Sur La Table on December 2nd at 4pm PT/7pm ET. We will be making the meringue cake with roasted apples from my new book. You can find details and register here. The class includes a copy of my book. This could be a fun thing to do with friends and family even across the country.

So now onto the recipe I am sharing with you today:

As we enter the dark months here in the Northern hemisphere, soup is all I am craving. Here is a very simple and nourishing carrot, fennel, and miso soup. I include a little nut and seed crunch as a topping too, which I keep in a jar for weeks and add to various things like soups, avocado toast, soft-cooked eggs, etc.

Hope you will enjoy it. As always, reach out with any questions.

Love to all,

xo-Aran

Carrot, Fennel, Miso Soup with Seed and Nut Crunch                                                                                                                 

The caramelized vegetables and miso in this soup give it depth of flavor and the crunch texture. Be sure to cook down the vegetables enough that they begin to stick to the pan slightly without burning. The goal is to really toast those natural sugars in the carrots and fennel, as well as the miso. 

Serves 4 to 6

For the seed/nut crunch

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon white mellow miso

1/2 teaspoon harissa powder or paprika

Small pinch kosher salt

1.     Heat a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the olive oil, pumpkin seeds, and pine nuts. Stir and cook for a minute until they begin to toast and smell nutty. 

2.     Add the sugar, miso, harissa powder, and salt, and continue cooking while stirring constantly until the sugar and miso melt and everything caramelizes, about 1 minute. Be careful not to burn the pumpkin seeds and pine nuts. Immediately transfer to a plate and spread the mixture to cool. Store in an airtight container for up to a week. 

For the soup

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling

1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into medium pieces

2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1 medium fennel bulb, tough core removed and cut into medium dice

1 1/2 pounds (7-8 medium) carrots, scrubbed and cut into medium pieces

1 teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons white mellow miso

4 cups water

1.     Heat a 7-quart Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, onion, garlic, fennel, carrot, and salt. Cook the vegetables, stirring occasionally, until they begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes. 

2.     Add the miso and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for another minute until toasted. We want the vegetables to have a slight caramelized color as this will give the soup depth of flavor. 

3.     Add the water and when it comes to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Puree the soup and adjust salt if needed. Serve the soup with the seed/nut crunch and a drizzle of olive oil.