Lavender Goat Cheese

So, here it is. Lavender Goat Cheese from Soledad Farm in Mojave, CA. This is the goat cheese I drove 17 miles for, and it was worth every mile of it. You can spread it on a slice of French baguette, put it in a sandwich, or my favorite is to drop a small spoonful in a bowl of carrot soup. This creamy goat cheese has a hint of sweetness with a light lavender fragrance and it melts perfectly in carrot soup (or any root vegetable soup such as beet soup or butternut squash). It will be a perfect treat in the fall season.

Carrot Soup

2-3 medium to large carrots

1 medium onion

1 clove of garlic

handful of uncooked rice

2-3 cups of water

1 cube of vegetable bouillon (I use Rapunzel's vegan vegetable bouillon with no salt added)

1/2 cup of heavy cream

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Lavender Goat Cheese (optional)

Parsley (optional)

Dice onion and garlic. In a large pot (I use Le Cruiset's oval dutch oven), sauté them together in olive oil, until tender (about 5 minutes).

Cut carrots 1/4 inch wide and add to onion and garlic in the pot. Sauté some more (about another 5 minutes). Carrots do not have to be soft but should look shiny and bright orange.

Add uncooked rice and saute until rice is translucent (about 1 minute).

Add vegetable bouillon in the pot and stir it constantly not to burn it. Bouillon should loosen and coat vegetables and rice (about 2-3 minutes).

Add water and let it boil. Reduce the heat to medium and let it simmer until Carrots are soft (about 15 minutes).

Turn off the heat and let the soup cool down.

When the soup is cooled completely, transfer soup into a high speed blender. I use Vita Mix but handheld blender or regular blender will work. Turn on the blender high for about 1 minute until the soup is smooth and creamy. If using a regular blender, soup might not be as smooth and creamy.

Transfer the soup back to the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add heavy cream and turn the heat on until the soup is hot (or warm, however you would like).

Pour the soup in your favorite cup or bowl, and drop a small spoonful of goat cheese and add chopped parsley for decoration.

Bon Appetite!