Cold California Avocado, Sesame and Grilled Eggplant Soup

Ingredients

 * 4 eggplants
 * 10 cloves garlic
 * ½ cup sesame oil
 * ½ stick butter
 * 2 fennel bulbs, diced
 * 2 yellow bell peppers, diced
 * 4 leeks, white part only
 * 1 Spanish onion
 * inch-long piece fresh ginger, peeled and diced
 * ¼ cup lime juice
 * ¼ cup soy sauce
 * 1½ quarts heavy cream
 * 4 avocados, cut into pieces
 * 10 cilantro sprigs
 * 1 cup light whipping cream
 * 1 cup mascarpone cheese
 * salt and pepper to taste

Garnishes

 * avocado slices,
 * seeded and diced tomato
 * sesame seeds
 * cilantro sprigs
 * crumbled queso blanco cheese

Directions

 * 1) Rub eggplants with oil.
 * 2) Puncture and stud with garlic cloves.
 * 3) Grill eggplants until cooked on all sides.
 * 4) Split in half and scrape out seeds.
 * 5) Reserve flesh and discard skin.
 * 6) In a large saucepan, heat sesame oil and butter.
 * 7) Add fennel, yellow peppers, leeks, onion and ginger.
 * 8) Cook until vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes.
 * 9) Chop reserved eggplant and add it to the pan.
 * 10) Adjust seasoning.
 * 11) Add lime juice and soy sauce, stirring to loosen browned bits at the bottom of the pan.
 * 12) Add heavy cream and bring to a boil.
 * 13) Simmer 10 minutes.
 * 14) Add avocado and cilantro, and roughly puree the soup in batches.
 * 15) Whip cream and mascarpone cheese together until stiff.
 * 16) Fold into soup.
 * 17) Cool.
 * 18) Adjust seasoning.
 * 19) Spoon into bowls and garnish with avocado slices, chopped tomato, sesame seeds, cilantro and queso blanco.