Chef Patrick O’Connell describes it as, ‘liquid autumn’. Rich, mildly sweet, and silky smooth – this Apple Rutabaga Soup is one of the tastiest soups I’ve ever had!
When I was living in DC, I had the fortunate pleasure of dinning at The Inn at Little Washington. The interior design of the Inn is truly dreamy and the food is absolutely exquisite! It’s been almost 10 years since I last dinned there and I still think about this Apple Rutabaga Soup. After a flotilla of hors d’oeuvres, the soup was served as a first course in a delicate demitasse cup. I wanted more… I wanted to lick the cup to get every last drop, but something told me that this was not the place to do such a thing. On the other hand, if you make this at home, lick away my friend… lick away.
Loaded with lots of autumn veggies, the cayenne pepper is an incredible compliment to the maple syrup. Just the slightest bit of heat balances out the subtle sweetness of the soup. This dish can be made several days in advance and refrigerated, or you can freeze it for several months. The advance prep and storage really comes in handy if you plan on serving this as a first course for Thanksgiving!
- 1 stick unsalted butter (1/4 pound)
- 1 cup onion, roughly chopped
- 1 cup rutabaga, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup butternut squash, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 cup Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
- 1 quart good quality chicken stock (or vegetable stock for a vegetarian option)
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1/4 cup real maple syrup
- Kosher salt
- cayenne pepper
- freshly ground black pepper (optional)
- In a large saucepan set over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, rutabaga, butternut squash, sweet potato, carrot, and apple. Stir occasionally and cook until the onions are translucent and softened.
- Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are cooked through and fork tender, about 20 -25 minutes.
- Carefully transfer the contents from the saucepan to a blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Strain through a fine-meshed sieve into the same saucepan you just used. Add the cream and maple syrup. Add salt and cayenne pepper to taste. Bring the contents to a simmer, turn off the heat and serve. Garnish with a few cracks of freshly ground black pepper, if desired.
Yes! We tried this after seeing Patrick make this on an episode of ‘Farm to Table.’ This is why I grow rutabagas. We make the ‘stock,’ the base without cream or maple syrup and keep it in the fridge. Then we do individual servings for lunch or dinner until it’s gone. Sometimes we use milk rather than heavy cream. Cayenne is added by each customer to taste. Sometimes we have it without any cream/syrup. Low calorie soup. Dreamy.
Looks amazing. Could you sub the cream with coconut milk?
Hi Marlene! I have not tried this recipe with coconut milk, but I imagine that would work well! The soup does have a little sweetness already, so I would just make sure you use unsweetened coconut milk.
This soup sounds absolutely divine! Gorgeous pictures!
Now this is creative and up my alley in the soup and flavor department. So original Kathleen, liquid Autumn indeed! Apple, maple, cayenne pepper, I am loving this soup. 🙂 Pinned to make later and shared! Thanks 🙂
As I read the ingredient list, liquid autumn is what it MUST taste like! And just the touch of hear from the cayenne…mouthwatering.
This soup looks gorgeous Kathleen! Love butternut squash and definitely have to try it!
I would totally want to scarf up all the drops from the bottom of the bowl of this soup! It looks so smooth and perfect! Love the cayenne in there!
Looking at your ingredients list for this recipe leaves me in absolute no doubt about how delicious this soup is, Kathleen.
Mmmm… I love it without having tasted it!
What an interesting soup this is! Love the apple and maple sirup there. Never tasted such soup but I bet it tastes amazing!
This sounds like a delicious flavor combination and the color is gorgeous!
This looks like velvety liquid autumn perfection! Beautiful.
There is something so comforting about a perfectly silky soup and I can see how silky yours is. I am loving all the different vegetables, I have to try this soup.
You’ve captured this soup so beautifully, Kathleen! Simple, silky, sublime. And that color!! I’ve never tried rutabaga – OMG, right? We have them at the farm… I’ve just never picked one up! A new to me root is celerac, and while I’ve tried it, I’ve not made anything with it. Thank you for this recipe, your inspiration. I’m lickin my lips just looking at it! 😀
I think I’d be right there with you licking up every last drop. This soup looks like pure bliss!
This looks incredible, Kathleen! I love the idea of “liquid autumn” 🙂