Drive by post!

In honour of our 20C weather today, I made a very sweet soup. Definitely not what you expect when you take your first bite, but good all the same. With it I made the yummiest grilled aged white cheddar and apple sandwiches. No recipe for that one, but definitely something that goes well together. Apple + cheddar = match made in heaven.

Now onto the recipe! I have a boy to get to Tap dance. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Maple Apple Sweet Potato Cream Soup

(Rachael Ray)

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 cup whipping cream

1 cinnamon stick

2 large sweet potatoes, cut into large chunks

2 carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks

1 onion, halved

4 celery stalks, halved

1 bay leaf

1 tsp salt

4 cups vegetable stock

1 cup apple cider

1/4 of a nutmeg, grated

1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped

a few pinches cayenne pepper

freshly ground black pepper

Place the vegetable and bay leaf into a soup pot and cover with cold water. Add the salt. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 15-18 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are tender.

Meanwhile put the maple syrup and cream in a small pot with the cinnamon stick. Heat it until it starts to bubble, and then simmer for about 15 minutes until it's thickened. Remove the cinnamon stick.

Drain the vegetables and get rid of the onion, celery and bay leaf. Put the sweet potatoes and carrots back into the soup pot. Add the stock, apple cider and spices, and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Cook for 5 minutes until heated through. Add the syrupy cream and stir to combine.