Savory Tarte Tatin with Carrot and Coriander Soup

(Both recipes from BBC Food.)

SAVORY TARTE TATIN

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
25g/1oz unsalted butter
2 red onions, peeled and chopped
1 celery stick, chopped
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 circle ready-made puff pastry (cut to slightly larger than a small frying pan)
100g/3½oz Brie, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
5 shelled walnuts, halved

Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. Place the olive oil and butter into a small ovenproof frying pan.
3. When the butter has melted, add the onions, celery, sugar and balsamic vinegar. Fry for about five minutes, until well softened.
4. Place the pastry on top and tuck in the edges.
5. Place in the preheated oven and bake for ten minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and carefully turn the pastry out onto a baking sheet.
7. Sprinkle the cheese over, before putting the tart back into the oven, pastry-side down. Bake for a further three minutes, or until the cheese has melted. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Serve on a plate, with the walnuts sprinkled over.

CARROT AND CORIANDER* SOUP

Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
½ onion, chopped
400g/14oz baby carrots, roughly chopped
1 bunch fresh coriander/cilantro*
400ml/1 pint vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
double cream as garnish (if desired)

Method:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large heavy pan. Add the onion and carrots and sauté over a high heat for 3-4 minutes.
2. Roughly chop the coriander/cilantro* stalks and add to the pan, along with the vegetable stock. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for ten minutes or until the carrots are tender. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Blend with a hand blender until smooth.
3. Serve in a soup bowl. Garnish with the coriander leaves and drizzle with cream and remaining oil.

NOTES
*If you're in America, the leaves of the plant are called CILANTRO and the seeds are called coriander. For heaven's sake don't put coriander seed in instead of cilantro. I can't speak from personal experience, here, but I'm pretty sure the result would be far less appetizing.

Leave the cream out of the soup, the brie off the tarte, double-check your puff pastry, use margerine or oil instead of butter, and you've got a completely vegan meal.

VERDICT
I became a huge fan of carrot and coriander soup when I lived in England--there was a soup and smoothie stand at Paddington that I'd often stop at on my way home from the couple of classes I had in London. I was excited to discover just how ridiculously easy it is to make. Mine wasn't quite as good as I remember theirs being, but even given that it was my first attempt and I got a little over-zealous with the salt, it was delicious.

The tarte was okay. Not my favorite ever, and didn't make great leftovers, but it complimented the soup well for that meal.