Winter White Soup

INGREDIENTS Makes 6 servings

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 shallots, chopped
• 1 (1 inch) piece fresh ginger, minced
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/3 small head cauliflower, chopped
• 1 small parsnip, chopped
• 10 small button mushrooms, chopped
• 1 pear - peeled, cored and diced
• 1/2 cup cannellini beans
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
• 3/4 cup Chardonnay wine
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 (14.5 ounce) can fat-free chicken broth
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup fat-free chicken broth (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Stir in the garlic, shallots, and ginger, and cook until fragrant but not brown, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green onions, cauliflower, parsnip, and mushrooms, and cook and stir an additional 5 minutes. Add the pear, beans, mustard, and dill, and stir just until heated, about 1 minute.
2. Stir in the wine and thyme, and turn up the heat to high. Boil, stirring constantly, until the wine is reduced by half and is syrupy, about 5 minutes. Pour in the chicken broth. Return the mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, partly covered, until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Allow the soup to cool slightly.
3. Pour the soup into a blender, filling the pitcher no more than halfway full. Hold down the lid of the blender with a folded kitchen towel, and carefully start the blender, using a few quick pulses to get the soup moving before leaving it on to puree. Puree in batches until smooth and pour into a clean pot. Alternately, you can use a stick blender and puree the soup right in the cooking pot.
4. Stir in cream, and, if needed, thin with additional chicken broth; serve hot. You may wish to serve this soup the next day. It will improve in taste with time.