Ingredients
- For the parsnip soup
- 50g/2oz
butter - 500g/1lb 2oz
parsnips, peeled, roughly chopped - 2 banana
shallots, roughly chopped - 2
garlic cloves, finely chopped - 2 fresh
thyme sprigs, leaves only - ½ tsp
curry powder - 750ml/1pt 7fl oz chicken
stock - 75ml/3fl oz double
cream, plus extra to garnish - salt and freshly ground
black pepper
- 50g/2oz
- For the mini crab beignets
- vegetable
oil, for frying - 125ml/4½fl oz water
- 50g/2oz
butter, diced - 75g/3oz plain
flour - ½ tsp
cayenne pepper - 2 free-range
eggs - 75g/3oz white
crabmeat - 25g/1oz brown
crabmeat - salt and freshly ground
black pepper
- vegetable
- To serve
- 2 tsp extra-virgin
olive oil - 2 tbsp fresh
coriander cress - 1 tbsp flaked
almonds, toasted
- 2 tsp extra-virgin
Preparation method
For the soup, melt half of the butter in a large saucepan until foaming. Add the parsnips and fry for 4-5 minutes, or until pale golden-brown.
Add the shallots, garlic and thyme and fry for 2-3 minutes, then stir in the curry powder and fry for another minute.
Pour in the chicken stock and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until the parsnips are tender.
Add the double cream, cool the soup slightly and blend the soup in a blender until smooth.
Strain the soup through a sieve into a clean saucepan and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk in the remaining butter.
For the mini crab beignets, heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer to 180C/350F. Alternatively, heat the oil in a deep heavy-based frying pan until a breadcrumb sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. (CAUTION: hot oil can be dangerous. Do not leave unattended.)
Heat the water and butter in a saucepan until the mixture boils, then boil for another minute.
Remove the pan from the heat and beat in the flour and cayenne with a wooden spoon until smooth, or until the mixture comes away from the side of the pan. Return the pan to the heat and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring continuously.
Remove the pan from the heat and beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well before adding the other egg.
Stir in the white and brown crabmeat until well combined, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Spoon the mixture into a piping bag and pipe 1.5cm/½in long sections into the oil and fry for 1-2 minutes, or until golden-brown and crisp. Remove the beignets from the pan with a slotted spoon, set aside to drain on kitchen paper and season with salt.
To serve, ladle the soup into soup bowls, scatter over some crab beignet and finish with a swirl of double cream. Drizzle the soup with olive oil and sprinkle over the coriander cress and flaked almonds.