Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3 large beets (2 1/2 pounds total)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 medium Vidalia or sweet onion, chopped fine

2 apples finely chopped, plus thin slices for garnish

4 cups chicken broth, more if necessary

1 teaspoon ginger, grated

1 to 2 tablespoons curry paste1 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup crème fraîche or yogurt.

Preparation

  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, drizzle oil over beets. Place beets on aluminum foil and bake about an hour or until beets can be pierced with a fork. When cool, peel beets and chop into large chunks.

  2. In a soup pot, melt butter. Add onion and sauté until it is almost caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add chopped apples, beets, broth, ginger, 1 tablespoon curry paste and salt. Mix well, bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until apples are soft.

  3. Pour soup mixture into a food processor and purée, in batches if necessary. Taste, adding more curry paste or salt if desired. If soup is too thick, add a bit of water or broth. Serve warm with a dollop of crème fraîche or yogurt and a slice of apple.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.