1. Preheat your oven to 400°. Scatter the parsnips onto a rimmed baking sheet (affiliate link). Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper, and toss. Add the garlic bundle to the pan*. Roast on the middle rack of the oven for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, remove parsnips from the oven and toss. Add the pears and a little extra olive oil if the pan seems dry. Return the parsnips and pears to the oven and roast for another 15-20 minutes, or until parsnips are tender. Remove from oven, drizzle in the maple syrup, mix and set aside.
3. If you are roasting the garlic in the same oven, leave it for another 15-20 minutes until it is golden, tender, and sweet. Remove from the foil and when cool enough to handle, squish the garlic out of its skin and into the soup pot.
4. While the veg is roasting, melt the butter in a Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks, onion, celery, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf. Sweat (meaning cook on medium heat without adding too much color), stirring often, for about 8-10 minutes or until tender. If the pan starts to dry, add a splash of wine (or stock) and stir. Add the chicken stock and the roasted parsnips and pears. Bring to a low boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer soap for 20-30 minutes to blend the flavors.
5. Remove the bay leaf and the thyme sprigs (remember to get all 8!). Now add just a little lemon zest, no more than about 1/4-1/2 teaspoon. Pour in the cream while pureeing using a blender (or immersion blender). Blitz until smooth. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning with salt and freshly cracked pepper.
6. Serve soup garnished with fresh chives, goat cheese crumbles, or some fresh thyme.

*Roasted Whole Garlic: To roast the garlic, knick off the top 1/3 of the garlic to expose a little of the top. Place the entire head of garlic on a piece of tin foil. Drizzle with about 1 teaspoon of olive oil and a good pinch of kosher or sea salt. Crack on some black pepper and bundle the whole thing up. Place in a hot oven for 45-60 minutes, until golden, tender, and like butter.

**Timing will vary depending on the size of the parsnips. Keep an eye on them; you want the parsnips to get a bit golden but not burnt. Remove some thinner pieces early if they are golden enough before the larger pieces are tender. Remove from oven and set aside.

Okay, here’s the video, notice our Minnesota accents? Enjoy!