Modernist Cuisine was the first place I saw a good description of pressure cooked vegetable soups. The process is very easy. You first pressure cook the vegetable with some baking soda to create a rich, browned puree. Then you combine it with fresh juice, stock or another liquid and blend it together. Just heat it through and you're all set. You can also strain them for a more silky, refined texture.
There are countless variations you can do because you can vary both the vegetable, the finishing liquid, and the garnishes. Here are some of my favorites that I've come to love.
Because these soups are so rich, I like to serve them in small amounts, which makes them great for hors d'oeuvres. I'll often plate them in a tall shot glass or a small bowl and provide a small spoon for people to use while they walk around.
For this soup, the spicy flavor of ginger really complements the super-sweet carrot flavor that develops in the soup. I like to finish it off with a little butter and basil and cilantro leaves.
You may want to remove the cores from the carrots before cooking if your carrots are not too sweet. The cores can be a little bitter. For sweeter carrots I find the bitterness helps to offset the sugar in the carrots.
For a more refined soup you can strain both the puree and the boiled juices. This helps to remove many of the fibers in the carrots. I personally like more rustic soups, and I hate to clean strainers, so I tend to eat them unstrained.
This soup has a very strong ginger flavor. If you want a more mild soup you can cut the amount of ginger in half and it'll still turn out really well.
If you don't have a pressure cooker you can still make a good version of this soup. Simply replace the pressure cooking with roasting the vegetables in a 204°C / 400°F oven until they soften and start to brown.
You will have probably have to add a lot more liquid at the end due to the loss of moisture in the oven. The flavor profile will be a little different than the pressure cooked version but it still should turn out deliciously.
If you like this recipe you can get it and more than 100 other recipes that will help you create remarkable cocktails, hors d'oeuvres and small plates that will amaze your friends. It's all in my book Modernist Cooking Made Easy: Party Foods - Get Your Copy Today!
Also, if you are just getting started experimenting with molecular gastronomy and modernist cuisine then I highly recommend one of these molecular gastronomy kits. They have everything you need to do many different dishes.
Peel the carrots and roughly dice them. In a small bowl, combine the water, salt, and baking soda then whisk to mix thoroughly.
Melt the butter in the base of a pressure cooker and add the carrots, ginger, and spices. Pour the water mixture over the carrots and mix together.
Seal the pressure cooker and bring to pressure at 1 bar / 15 psi. Cook for 20 minutes. Once cooked, depressurize by running the pressure cooker under warm water.
Puree the cooked carrots until smooth.
Add the carrot juice and orange juice to the carrot puree and bring to a boil. Add the butter, hot sauce, cloves, and cinnamon and mix well.
Place the soup into a small bowl or serving cup. Top with the cilantro leaves and basil leaves then serve.
Modernist Cooking Made Easy: Getting Started covers many of the popular modernist techniques such as gelling, spherification, and foams. It also explores modernist ingredients like agar, sodium alginate, tapioca maltodextrin, and xanthan gum.
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