In a saucepan, cover your carrots with the chicken stock - they should be just covered. Add the bay leaf and a dash of salt and pepper and let simmer until the carrots are fork tender.

Puree in a blender and add your coconut milk as it blends. If you decide to use olive oil instead of butter, pour it in a thin steady stream as the carrots blend. Olive oil gives the soup a foamy texture... I did this for the first time while cooking in Provence and it was spectacular. And unique. So if you're feeling unique, use olive oil. Otherwise be Parisian and use butter and cream.

You can experiment with cumin and curry and other things as you please... carrots are a very forgiving vegetable.