Carrot - Coconut Soup from Clayburn Village Store and Tea Shop

This soup is simple to make with few ingredients, but the flavour is complex and just a bit spicy.

 The recipe comes from the November issue of Bon Appetit magazine. It is a reader favourite from The Clayburn Village Store & Tea Shop in Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. I was there recently and enjoyed a wonderful lunch.

 It is located just 1 hour outside of Vancouver on Clayburn Rd. and is definitely worth the drive. An old fashioned Tea Shop with exceptional soups and sandwiches. It is the perfect place for a delicious lunch or great dessert. I make a special trip there for their warm current scones and the perfect pot of tea. The store also has a tremendous selection of candy and at the back there is a little section with a wonderful array of olive oils, vinegars, mustards and  loads of special pastas and food products. 

The place is quite special! Follow past this recipe for more pictures.

You will need:

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 lb. carrots, peeled, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (a bit more to thin out later if you like)
• 1 13.5 oz. can unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 tbsp Thai-style chili sauce, plus more for serving
• Fresh cilantro/coriander leaves (for serving)

Thai Sweet Chili Sauce is similar to a plum sauce, but with a bit of heat (not much) and can be found in most Asian sections of any grocery store.

Step 1: gather all ingredients. Peel and chop carrots. My bag is a 2 lb. bag so I used half which was 7 small carrots. Chop onion.

Step 2: Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add carrots and onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often, until carrots are softened, 15-20 minutes.

Step 3: Stir in broth, coconut milk, and 2 tbsp chili sauce. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are very soft and liquid is slightly reduced, 40-45 minutes.

Step 4: Let soup cool slightly, then puree in a blender until smooth. Reheat in a clean saucepan, thinning with water or broth to desired consistency; season with salt and pepper.

Divide soup among bowls (serves 4) and drizzle with a bit more chili sauce and some fresh cilantro leaves. Soup can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool: cover and chill.

The perfect cup of English Tea which you can buy in the back along with their best selling item a fantastic dill mustard from San Francisco.

They have the best warm scones served with double cream and jam!! heaven.

They also serve excellent pies and desserts like this Sticky Toffee Pudding.

Don't you want to sit buy the fire and have a nice pot of tea and something delicious to eat?? I wish I was there right now.

Take a bag and fill it up with your favourite candy.

This is my favourite section of the store. I spoke with the owner for a good solid hour about his passion, balsamic vinegar. He shared his knowledge and memories from wonderful trips to Italy. He explained the various differences to the good quality vinegars and olive oils they sold. He then took out a small wooden box and shared a few precious drops of his personal bottle of best balsamic vinegar. A tiny bottle, extremely aged to perfection and worth over 300 Euros. This vinegar was simply glorious, sweet and thick like magnificent syrup!

The shop is closed each Jan, May and Sept so they can travel to places like Spain and Italy discovering wonderful oils, vinegars and speciality products to sell back in Abbotsford.

 Good food and magical experiences can happen in the most unlikely places! 

Thank you Trish and Bryan for a wonderful lunch and fascinating conversations about balsamic vinegars and your travels. Keep up the good work, I will be back soon!

If you are near Abbotsford you must stop by.