Curried Carrot Soup with Cilantro Crème Fraiche

Preparation

1. 1
   Pour some olive oil into a large saucepan placed over medium heat. Add in the onions and curry powder and cook for 3-4 minutes so that the onions are just tender. Stir in the carrots and ginger and toss to combine the vegetables well. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
2. 2
   Pour all of the vegetable stock into the saucepan and continue cooking the carrots for another 30 minutes or until tender.
3. 3
   Carefully purée the carrots and stock in batches in a food processor (you get the smoothest soup using this method) but you can also use a hand held blender. If you are using the latter, leave the soup in the saucepan.
4. 4
   Pour the puréed soup back into the sauce pan if you puréed it in the food processor. Just before serving stir the butter into the soup, check the seasoning, adding a little more salt and pepper if needed. Spoon a little of the cilantro crème fraiche on top of each bowl. (see recipe below)
5. 5
   Place all the ingredients into a blender and purée until you have a smooth mixture. You may need to add a teaspoon or two of warm water if the mixture seems a little thick. You can make this ahead of time and keep refrigerated until ready to serve the soup.