Sunday Supper: Cream of Asparagus Soup

Serves 6.

Note: "Because I'm drawn to fruit and to pungent tastes, I looked for some fruity and prominent flavors to include and settled on tart Michigan cherries and Danish blue cheese for my soup recipe," writes Scott Graden in "New Scenic Cafe: The Cookbook." "Both have strong flavors, but those flavors become much more subtle when combined in this soup. You can also make this soup using broccoli instead of asparagus."

• 2 tbsp. olive oil

• 1 1/2 c. chopped onion

• 1 1/2 c. chopped celery

• 1 1/2 c. chopped carrot

• 1 tbsp. minced garlic

• 4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) butter

• 1/2 c. flour

• 2 c. whole milk

• 2 c. heavy cream

• 4 c. water

• 1 bay leaf

• 1/2 c. dried cherries

• 3 c. chopped asparagus

• 4 oz. blue cheese

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm olive oil. Add onion, celery, carrots and garlic. Cover pot and sweat vegetables, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add butter and stir until it melts.

Reduce heat to medium. Stir in flour to create a roux (combined with the vegetables, mixture will resemble chunky cookie dough).

Add milk, heavy cream and water, stirring after adding each liquid to blend ingredients with the roux. Add bay leaf, dried cherries and asparagus. Heat soup to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover pot and allow soup to simmer until asparagus just becomes tender, about 10 minutes.

Crumble blue cheese into soup, stirring until cheese is combined evenly. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with crusty bread.