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Bowl of pale golden parsnip pear velouté with brown butter drizzle, thyme leaves, and pumpkin seeds on marble

Parsnip Pear Velouté with Brown Butter and Thyme

A smooth, restaurant-style parsnip pear velouté made with roasted parsnips, ripe pear, vegetable stock, and a brown butter finish. Ready in 40 minutes and freezer-friendly.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 265
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 30 g unsalted butter for sautéing
  • 1 medium yellow onion roughly chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves smashed
  • 600 g parsnips peeled and cut into 2 cm chunks
  • 1 large ripe pear peeled, cored, and roughly chopped (about 200 g)
  • 4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves stripped
  • 900 ml vegetable stock low-sodium
  • 60 ml heavy cream plus extra to taste
  • to taste fine sea salt
  • to taste white pepper
Brown Butter Finish
  • 40 g unsalted butter
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves for garnish
  • 2 tbsp toasted pumpkin seeds optional, for texture

Method
 

  1. Melt 30 g butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.
  2. Add the garlic and thyme leaves. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
  3. Add the parsnip chunks and stir to coat. Pour in the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the parsnips are completely tender when pierced with a knife.
  4. Add the chopped pear and simmer uncovered for 5 more minutes until the pear is soft.
  5. Remove the pan from the heat. Let the mixture cool for 5 minutes, then blend in batches in a stand blender until completely smooth, about 90 seconds per batch. Return the blended soup to a clean saucepan over low heat.
  6. Stir in the cream. Taste and season with salt and white pepper. Keep warm on low heat while you make the brown butter.
  7. In a small light-colored skillet, melt 40 g butter over medium heat. Swirl the pan regularly. Continue cooking for 3-4 minutes until the butter turns golden and smells nutty, and the milk solids at the bottom look amber. Remove from heat immediately.
  8. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Drizzle with brown butter, scatter over fresh thyme leaves, and add toasted pumpkin seeds if using. Serve straight away.

Notes

For the smoothest possible finish, pass the blended soup through a fine-mesh sieve before adding the cream. This step is optional but makes a noticeable difference in texture.