Carrot and chervil soup with scallops and amaretti

A creamy potato and carrot soup, topped with pan-fried scallops.

Carrot and chervil soup with roasted scallops and amaretti. Credit: Everyday Gourmet with Justine Schofield

• serves

  3-4

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  20 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 small desiree potato, peeled and thinly sliced
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 500 ml thickened cream
• 1 leek
• 1 small onion
• 100 g butter
• 500 g peeled and grated carrot
• pinch of sugar
• 150 ml Vin Santo (or sweet white wine)
• 1 bunch chervil (save some nice sprigs for garnish and roughly chop the rest)
• Olive oil
• 8-10 scallops
• handful amaretti biscuits

Instructions

1. Put the potato in a saucepan with the stock and cream and bring to a simmer.
2. Meanwhile, sweat the leek and onion in the butter until soft but not coloured.
3. Add the carrot and continue to cook until most of the moisture has gone. Add the sugar and 100 ml of Vin santo and continue to cook for several minutes.
4. By this time the potato should be cooked. Add the two together along with the chopped chervil. Purée the soup in batches until very fine. Pass through a sieve and season with salt and pepper and the remaining wine to taste.
5. To serve, heat a non-stick frying pan until very hot. Lightly oil the scallops and sear on each side.
6. Remove from the pan.
7. Divide the soup into warm bowls. Top with the scallops and crumble over some amaretti. Add a sprig of chervil and serve.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.