One of my favorite food bloggers is Joy The Baker. Not only is she a great cook but I love that she’s honest and funny. Several days ago I saw the perfect fall recipe on her site for a curried sweet potato soup with goat cheese biscuits. This was instantly added to my “to try” list. When I was hanging out with my teenage cousin one night last week I thought this would be a fun recipe for us to try . I didn’t want to make a trip to the store for sweet potatoes and I already had a can of pumpkin puree in the cupboard. After some research I found that pumpkin and sweet potatoes can be used interchangeably without much difference.
Zoe was a great helper and we both enjoyed cooking together. The finished product was absolutely delicious! The goat cheese in the biscuits gives them a wonderful savory flavor. While the addition of goat cheese to the soup is a great creamy compliment.
Curried Sweet Potato Soup
Adapted from The Essential New York Times Cookbook
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Level: Easy
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup coarsely chopped onions
1 large clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick (I used 1 can of pumpkin puree)
6 cups chicken broth, or slightly more as needed. (I actually used 4 cups and it was plenty)
salt and pepper to taste
6 to 8 teaspoons goat cheese
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until the onions begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and saute, stirring for 30 seconds. Add the ginger, cumin, coriander, turmeric and red pepper flakes. Add the sweet potatoes/pumpkin and broth and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat and simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes. If you’re using pumpkin puree, you’ll just want to simmer for 10-15 minutes.
Puree the soup, in batches in a blender or food processor. You can skip this process if you’re using pumpkin puree. Season to taste. The soup can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge. Reheat over a low flame. If the soup is too thick, add a little more stock.
Ladle into bowls and crumble goat cheese on top. This really makes the soup.
Goat Cheese Drop Biscuits
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 15 minutes
Level: Easy
Yield: makes about 9 biscuits
Adapted slightly from Art Smith’s Table Fifty-Two
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, for the pan
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted to top the biscuits
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup buttermilk
Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven to preheat as well. I didn’t have a cast iron skillet so I just used a round cake pan. If you use a cake pan it doesn’t need to be preheated.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. With your fingers incorporate the butter and goat cheese until the flour resembles a coarse, pebbly mixture. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the buttermilk. With a fork, mix together the buttermilk and flour until all of the dry flour disappears.
Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a small sauce pan or in the microwave. Set aside.
Remove the cast iron from the oven and place one tablespoon of butter in it. Work the pat of butter around, greasing the entire pan, including the sides.
Spoon the batter, by the 1/4-cup into the hot skillet. Joy recommends using a big scooper to do the job. The biscuits will touch when baked.
Brush with melted butter.
Bake for 14-16 minutes, until slightly golden in color. Remove from the oven. Let rest for 5 minutes. Serve warm.
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