Throw together this super fancy and ultra sexy Gluten Free Radish and Celery Cream Soup with Fig Butter for a quick weeknight meal that will leave you feeling like you’ve just eaten at a five star restaurant!
People here in Hawaii are amazing! Seriously, I have loved living here. Everyone you meet is just so kind and sincere. We have really enjoyed making new friends here on the island.
I’ve had the opportunity to meet some really great women by participating in a handful of group activities throughout the week. Between partnering with a few ladies for a co op preschool, running with some gals in the mornings, sweating it out at the church gym with some health gurus, surfing with a bunch of cool beach babes, lap swimming with a couple of supermoms, and attending church regularly…I’d say there hasn’t been a lack of socializing.
Now Ben…
Hmmm…
Poor Ben. That’s another story. Don’t get me wrong. He is far and beyond charismatic and chatty and social, but he lacks the amount of free time that I have during the week to make some really good friends. Between work, family, and his passion, Crossfit, he’s downright busy.
So when the weekend comes, and I’m exhausted, he always seems to perk up and suggest, “How about we invite someone over for dinner?”
It’s basically his way of saying, “Babe, can you help me make friends???!”
As tired as I may be, I’m usually on board to create something in the kitchen to share with friends. Plus it’s worth all the extra work to see Ben enjoying some company after a long week of work.
So you’re probably guessing that this next recipe is something that I served to our recent dinner guests, right?
Wrong!
Now that I think about it, that would make much more sense than what I’m about to explain, but I like a little anticipation. I actually made meatloaf, but my sweet friend brought us a gift when she showed up to dinner with her cute family.
Fig butter!
I’ve never tried it, but dang is it good! I could slather it on a whole slew of things. YUMMY!
So no more than two days after she gave me this fig butter did I bust out this downright delicious Gluten Free Radish and Celery Cream Soup with Fig Butter.
You guys, this soup is amazing! Amazing as in you feel like you are sitting down eating your first course at a five star restaurant.
But then you realize your two children sitting in front of you at the dinner table, slurping their soup and hanging upside down from their chairs in between bites, and you realize, “Oh yeah. I’m still home.”
This soup is a thick and creamy chowder with sauteed radishes, onions, and celery scattered in each bite. The veggies are so flavorful from being sauteed in white wine vinegar, and are so soft and tender. It’s supremely delicate in flavor. And not only do the celery leaves add an additional pop of color, but they also add a beautiful and interesting addition of texture and flavor.
Along with the tender veggies, I also added a can of Bush’s reduced sodium white cannelinni beans for another level of texture and taste. The beans are so creamy and pair wonderfully with the satiny smooth and buttery taste of the soup.
Now most people think they have to give up chowder once they go gluten free, but I’m here to tell you that chowder can stay! I thicken my chowders with white rice flour and it works perfectly. I can’t even tell a difference since switching thickening flours.
As always, season this soup to taste. I scaled back a bit on the salt and pepper for the recipe to leave you room to add enough seasoning for your own preference. Definitely add more pepper if you prefer more bite. You can even add a few shakes of cayenne to give it some real heat. Also feel free to play up the sage if you want a more earthy flavor. However you decide, this soup will still be heaven in your mouth.
We topped this soup off with some extra freshly chopped radishes and that lovely fig butter that my friend brought. It was truly delicious. The fig butter stirred into the chowder added a slight sweetness to the savory chowder and really put a smile on my face.
So thank you lovely friend for your company and my new favorite ingredient. Let’s see what else I can create!
What creations have you made with fig butter?
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 cups chopped radishes (about 1 bunch), plus more for garnishing
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 cup chopped celery with leaves (about 2-3 stalks)
- 1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 3 cups half and half
- 1¼ to 1½ teaspoons salt, plus more for seasoning
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon pepper, plus more for seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon coriander
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground mustard
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1 cup milk (I used 1%)
- ¼ cup white rice flour
- 1 can Bush's brand reduced sodium white cannelinni beans, with liquid*
- Prepare veggies by chopping radishes, dicing onion, and chopping celery with leaves.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat in a large soup pot. Once butter is melted and pan is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles, add radishes, onion, and celery with leaves. Generously season with a few shakes of salt and pepper. Cook veggies, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes or until veggies are tender and liquid has evaporated. Add white wine vinegar and cook until liquid is gone.
- Add half and half, 1¼ teaspoons salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, coriander, ginger, ground mustard, sage, and paprika. Stir.
- In a smaller mixing bowl, whisk together milk and white rice flour until flour is dissolved. Slowly pour, while whisking, mixture into pot. Increase heat and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to a rolling boil and stir vigorously until soup has thickened to a chowder consistency.
- Add beans, with liquid, to the soup and stir. Season to taste.
- Serve soup with freshly chopped radishes, a teaspoon of fig butter and gluten free croutons or crackers.
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