"Try the sauteed quail with cherry sauce"

Raphael Kadushin

Bon Appetite Magazine

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This delicious soup is made with a variety of winter vegetables. A roux and yukon gold potatoes give the soup its thickness while parsnips provides a great flavor contrast to cauliflower, fennel and turnips. A nice loaf of French bread and a tossed salad make a perfect winter meal!

If you want to have a restaurant presentation, I have included information on a couple of optional garnishes. We use frizzled sweet potato that have been sliced with a mandolin slicer and a dash of mint oil.

Recipe of the Month

Winter White Vegetable Bisque
Make approximately 8 servings

1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 head of cauliflower florettes, coarsely chopped

1 medium fennel bulb, cored and coarsely chopped

2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 small turnip, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 parsnip, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 cups of vegetable or chicken stock

1 cup milk (more if soup seems too thick)

Optional garnishes

frizzled sweet potato

1 sweet potato, peeled and finely julienne with a Madoline slicer
(do not use a food processor for this....the pieces need to be slim and long)

enough canola oil to fill a pot to about 2 inches

mint oil
1 large bunch of fresh mint
(about 1 1/2 cups)

1 bunch of parsley
(about 1 cup)

canola oil


*To prepare the soup -* Have your vegetables all prepared. Melt the butter in a pot large enough to accommodate the soup preparation.

Add the onion and garlic. Saute on low heat until the onions are translucent.

Add the flour. Stir to combine and cook on low, stirring, for a few minutes to cook the flour. .

Add the remaining vegetables.

Add the stock and the milk. Stir to combine. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes or until the vegetables are very soft.

Puree the soup. To the right, I am pureeing the soup with an immersion blender which goes directly into the soup pot. You can also puree the soup in a food processor, however, make sure to do this in batches as you don't want the soup to overflow. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. If the soup seems too thick, add enough additional milk .

*Optional garnish* To make the sweet potato garnish, julienne a peeled sweet potato on a madoline slicer so that they are thin and long. Keep in a bowl of cold water until ready to use. (can be made several hours ahead and kept in the water.)

Heat enough oil in a pot to have about 2 inches of oil. Heat to 350 degrees....use a candy/deep fryer thermometer to check the temp. When 350 degrees, carefully add the potatoes (You may want to do this in batches if your pot is small). Fry until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel lined plate.

To make the mint oil Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil. Place the mint and parsley, coarsely chopped, in a strainer. Place strainer in the water and blanch herbs for 30 seconds. Take out of water the rinse immediately in cold water. Squeeze excess water from the herbs.
Place herbs in a blender. Start blender and carefully add oil. Remove and strain, pressing gently on the herbs. We store the oil in clear squeeze bottles. *TIP* - If you want the oil to be more vibrant in color, add a few drops of green food coloring to the final oil.