Contributed by From Mark Filatow of Waterfront Wines

Ingredients

1 lb Parsnips
1 large Onion
1 Garlic clove
2 litres Vegetable stock
2 Bay leaves
Sea Salt and Black Pepper
1 lb Anjou Pears
1 small bulb Fennel
150ml White wine
200ml Whipping Cream
Olive oil
2 Tbs fresh Tarragon

Instructions

Peel and core parsnips, coarsely chop, toss in oil and sea salt, roast in oven until golden brown and tender. Peel and core pears, reserve. Peel onion, slice, slice fennel, and chop garlic fine. In a pot large enough to accomodate 3 litres, preheat pot slightly on medium heat. When the pot is warm, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and immediately add onions, fennel, and garlic. Cook until the onion starts to colour. Add pears and cook until the pears start breaking down. Add the wine and cook until the pears start breaking down. Add the wine and cook until the alcohol has evaporated (your nostril hairs won't curl when hung over the pot's edge). Add the parnsips, vegetable stock, whipping cream, and bay leaves. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 1/2 hour. Take off the heat (remove the two bay leaves) and puree in batches with the tarragon in a blender. (Do not over fill, pulse first, then puree for 30 seconds or so. If you feel uneasy about the temperature of the soup, wait until it cools a little). Strain through a mesh sieve and season with sea salt and pepper to taste.

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