Courtesy Brian Scheehser, Trellis Restaurant

INGREDIENTS

Pear Relish
3 Bosc pears, peeled, cored and halved
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp raw sugar
2 tsp pear vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
¼ cup fresh shelled peas, blanched (or frozen peas, thawed)
¼ cup mint leaves, cut into thin strips
Mint leaves for garnish
Carrot and Fennel Soup
1 lb (about 5) carrots, peeled and chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 medium russet potato, peeled and chopped
2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
1 cup fresh carrot juice
1 cup pear juice
½ cup white wine
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375ºF. Place pears cut side down in a large oven-proof skillet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 15 minutes or until just barely tender. Remove pears and cool to room temperature, then dice into 1/4-inch pieces. Add vinegar to the pan, stirring to deglaze any browning on pan. Gently combine pears, peas, and mint with the liquid in pan. Set aside at room temperature until ready to serve.

While pears are roasting, prepare soup: Place all ingredients in a deep saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and cook until vegetables are soft. Transfer about half the mixture to a food processor or blender; process until smooth. Repeat with remaining soup. Season to taste with salt and a little pepper.

Serve soup in bowls topped with a generous portion of pear relish. Garnish with mint leaves.