Cream of Walnut Soup

I think I have a new favorite dessert.

YEAH RIGHT JK SOUP WILL NEVER BE ICE CREAM.

But seriously, while it may not look like much, this is one of my favorite things I've ever made. I know it sounds kind of weird, but trust me on this--if you want to make an impressive and interesting dessert for a dinner party, you can't go wrong with Thomas Keller's Cream of Walnut soup. 

I've made a few dessert soups in my time, but never really made one I thought I'd make again (or dream about). Served in itsy-bitsy servings (I served in demitasse cups, which is extra cute), you'll want to sip this seriously rich soup slowly, tasting every flavor in every drop.

The first step in making Cream of Walnut soup is toasting the walnuts in the oven. Every time, EVERY SINGLE TIME I toast nuts in the oven I burn the first batch. It's like, come on, Cor, nuts don't grow on trees! (Okay, so they do, but they're expensive.) So, you place your second, unburned batch of toasted walnuts in a heavy bottomed pot with part of a vanilla bean and simmer that in heavy cream until the flavors are infused, giving the cream a slightly (pleasantly) bitter flavor and, obviously, a hint of vanilla.

To balance the cream element, you poach some pear (I used a Bosc) in some sauvignon blanc, fresh lemon juice, sugar and water, then puree all that together. You strain the cream into a bowl, then strain the hot pear puree and mix together. The dry acidity and sweetness of the pear puree does something magical to the cream, leaving your finished product not tasting distinctly of pear OR of walnut, really. It's an entirely new flavor, totally smooth, a little frothy, and 100% good. Topped off with a few drops of walnut oil, this turned out to be an excellent Valentine's Day dessert for my most excellent boyfriend.

As a Valentine's Day bonus, look at this super precious walnut piece that plopped out of the bag perfectly and serendipitously formed when I went to toast my second batch. J'adorable! (ugh! Thought I'd forgotten about that ridiculous phrase and now I can't untype it! Ack!)

I didn't change the recipe at all except to make a smaller batch, so just follow this link. Majorly recommended.