Tea Room Recipe #8 - Victorian Sampler (Eureka Springs, Ark.)

Decades ago I visited the lovely town of Eureka Springs, Ark., but unfortunately I wasn't yet into tea. I was into antiques and travel, so of course a love for tea was just a matter of time. If I'd discovered that love of teatime earlier I could have enjoyed visiting quite a few tea rooms, like the Spears family's Victorian Sampler Tea Room that operated in Eureka Springs back then. Copies of their cookbook still pop up online pretty frequently, and this Carrot Soup caught my eye since it was labeled "Most requested soup recipe in Tea Room."

Ruth Spears wrote in the intro to this 1986 cookbook, "Jim and I purchased the Tea Room in late 1984. The home at 44 Prospect Street was built shortly after Eureka Springs' 1879 founding for one of the town's prominent physicians, Dr. C.F. Ellis." She and her husband ran the tea room with their daughter Lori, and this "book of favorites" includes recipes from family, friends and customers.

Carrot Soup

3 tablespoons butter, divided use
3/4 cup onion, chopped
3 cups carrots, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons plain uncooked rice
Salt and white pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in onions and cook for several minutes, until soft but not brown. Add carrots, chicken stock, tomato paste and rice. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the soup* until smooth, then season and stir in cream and remaining tablespoon of butter. Garnish with carrot curls. (Carrot curls can be made by shaving off thin strips of carrot with a vegetable peeler and forming them into rosettes.) Serves 6.

*The book suggests you puree in a blender or food mill. Since I don't have either of those, I used my food processor, which was a little messy but I loved the result! At first, I was disappointed there were teeny-tiny specks of carrot instead of it being completely liquified. But once I took a bite, I liked it that way—and so did my husband! We both agreed this doesn't taste overly carrot-y, and that it perhaps deserves a name more exotic than simply Carrot Soup. He thinks it would be interesting to serve this to guests and have them guess what it is. Served in teacups, this makes a fun presentation for the tea table—and just imagine the possibilities if you serve this in the fall!