Creamy Carrot Ginger Bisque with Cashew Cream

Directions

1. To make the cashew cream, soak the cashews in cold water overnight.
2. Drain cashews. Add them to a food processor and pulse a few times to grind them up.
3. With the motor running, drizzle in fresh water (start with 1 cup), stopping a few times to scrape the bowl of the food processor down. You can continue to add more water depending on how thick or thin you'd like the cream to be; you may want it as thick as whipped cream, or you may want it to be closer to the texture of coconut milk. Keep adding water until you like the consistency. Alternately, you can add the cashews and the water to a high speed blender and blend, adding water as needed, till you reach the desired consistency. I don't recommend a conventional blender, though.
4. For a savory cream, add the lemon and sea salt. For a sweet cream, add the maple syrup, cane juice, or sugar. Feel free to vary flavorings as you like!
5. To make the soup, saute the onions, celery, and ginger in oil in a medium sized pot until the onions are translucent (about ten minutes).
6. Add the stock, carrots, potato, curry powder, and salt to the pot.
7. Bring the liquid to a boil, and then lower it to a simmer. Let the mix simmer for about twenty-five minutes, or until all of the carrots are nice and tender.
8. When the carrots are tender, turn off the flame. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup completely. You may also use a blender for this step, but work in small batches and be mindful of spattering liquid.
9. Transfer the blended soup back to your pot, and warm through. Stir in 1/3 cup of the cashew cream.
10. To serve the soup, divide it into bowls and top with a swirl of additional cashew cream.