Pastry Arts Schools

This winning Soup's a Little Nutty

BY JOAN REMINICK

April 21, 2004

Although Joanna Rock studied pastry making at the Institute of Culinary Education, it wasn't a dessert that won her a grand prize in a national contest. Rather, it was an original recipe for "tropical peanut butter-broccoli soup" that garnered top honors.

"When you say 'peanut butter-broccoli soup,' people look at you and say, 'What?' But I'm a vegetarian and one thing I like is Asian-inspired peanut butter sauce," said Rock, 35, who grew up in Rockville Centre and now lives in Long Island City. "It might sound weird as a soup, but I knew that the flavors worked together in other dishes." Rock was particularly inspired by tofu and broccoli with peanut sauce she always orders in Thai restaurants. In addition to the title ingredients, her soup contains carrots, ginger, curry powder and brown sugar. "It came together right away," she said. Not surprisingly, since Rock's specialty is baking, she also entered a dessert in Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter Search for Naturally Delicious Recipes Contest. "It was an individual chocolate cake with a warm peanut butter center.... I was told that they have a lot more entries in the dessert category than the others," she said. That's when Rock decided to enter an appetizer as well. Her soup - one of 40 appetizers judged by a panel of 20 food journalists on taste, appearance, creativity and ease of preparation - achieved the highest scores.

The irony of the contest results, Rock said, was that "both winning desserts were submitted by culinary people, and one appetizer and one entree were submitted by pastry people."

Rock sees a certain logic in the reversal. "You're a little more willing to be adventurous and work outside of bounds when you're in the area you didn't train in ... but that's the psychologist in me talking."

Rock, who has a doctorate in organizational psychology from New York University, has, for the time being, gone into temporary retirement in the pastry field. "I just took a job in my original career, which is organizational development," she said. It was, in fact, during a work hiatus last year that Rock entered the International Culinary Institute in Manhattan; she just completed her course of study. A future in food remains a possibility.

"Some day," Rock said, "when I'm ready to quit the corporate world, I would like to open my own pastry shop or bakery."

Perhaps the $1,500 prize she won for bringing peanut butter and broccoli together in a soup bowl will help with the down payment.

Tropical Peanut Butter-Broccoli Soup Oil

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, sliced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon curry powder

1 bunch broccoli, stalks trimmed and sliced to 1/2-inch thick, florets cut to bite size

1 quart vegetable broth

1 quart water

Salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1. In large pot, heat small amount of oil over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent and beginning to brown.

2. Add carrots, garlic and spices and continue to cook about 2 minutes.

3. Add broccoli stalks and all but 2 cups of florets. Pour in broth and water. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes until broccoli is tender. Add salt, pepper and cayenne pepper to taste.

4. Add peanut butter and sugar. Puree soup, using either a stick blender or, in a regular blender, in batches.

5. Return to heat, add reserved broccoli florets. Cook 4 to 6 minutes, until added broccoli is cooked. Makes about 8 to 10 servings.

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