Roasted Carrot Velouté with Spiced Maple Pecans
Description
This velouté is a celebration of winter warmth. Roasting the carrots intensifies their natural sweetness, while ginger, orange and a hint of nutmeg bring gentle festive spice. The result is silky, comforting and elegant, a starter that feels luxurious yet is remarkably simple to prepare.
The spiced maple pecans provide contrast in texture and flavour, offering sweetness, crunch and aromatic warmth. They can be made well in advance, making this starter wonderfully low-stress on Christmas Day. Serve in warmed bowls with a little swirl of cream for a touch of richness.
Ingredients
- 800 g carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 small onions, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 l vegetable stock
- 200 ml plant cream
- 1 zest of 1 orange
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 60 g pecans
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- Pinch of ground cinnamon
- Pinch of smoked paprika
- Pinch of salt
Soup
Spiced maple pecans
Instructions
- 1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan). Spread the carrots and onion on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 25–30 minutes, or until softened and lightly caramelised.
- 2
To make the pecans, place the nuts, maple syrup, cinnamon, smoked paprika and salt in a small bowl and mix to coat. Spread them on a lined tray and bake for 5–7 minutes until lightly toasted. Leave to cool before roughly chopping.- 3
Transfer the roasted carrots and onion to a saucepan. Add the garlic, ground ginger, nutmeg and vegetable stock. Simmer for 10 minutes to meld the flavours.- 4
Use a stick blender to purée the soup until completely smooth. Stir in the plant cream and orange zest, then adjust seasoning to taste.- 5
Reheat gently before serving. Ladle into warmed bowls and top with the spiced maple pecans. - 2