Pear & Potato Soup with Bacon Bits
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 - 8
- Category: Dish Type
Description
The sweetness of pear balances perfectly with the salty bacon bits.
Ingredients
50 g butter
1 onion, chopped
2 leeks, sliced
6 ripe, juicy pears, cored, peeled and diced
2 potatoes, peeled and diced
About 4 cups (1 litre) good-quality chicken stock
250 g streaky bacon
½ cup (125 ml) fresh cream
Salt and pepper
Crostini
1 baguette, sliced
125 g creamy blue cheese, crumbled
Instructions
Heat the butter until bubbling, then add the onion and leeks and sauté until fragrant and translucent. Add the pears and sauté for 5 minutes to allow the flavours to develop, and then add the potatoes and sauté for another 5 minutes. Pour the stock into the pot, cover and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 200 °C. Lay the bacon on a roasting tray and cook in the oven for about 15 minutes until crispy on both sides. Allow to cool, then chop into bits with a sharp knife or pop into a blender. Crostini Place the sliced bread onto a baking tray and top with pieces of blue cheese. Pop into the still-hot 200 °C oven until the cheese melts and the edges are crispy. To serve Add the cream to the soup and heat through slightly, then use a stick blender and blitz the soup until it is as smooth as you like it. Take half of the chopped bacon and stir into the soup. Season to taste. Serve the soup sprinkled with the remaining bacon bits and enjoy with warm blue cheese crostini. Tip If you’re not a fan of blue cheese, try sliced Brie instead.
