For the salad, simply mix all the ingredients for the dressing together, and drizzle over a bowl of tossed greens. Garnish your salad with figs and nuts. To make the soup, add butter and onions to a 6-quart pan, over medium high heat and cook them, stirring often, until onions are limp. Add broth, carrots, and ginger and cover the pan. Bring it to a boil and then reduce the heat and simmer until carrots are tender when pierced. Return the mixture to the pan, add cream, and stir it over high heat until the soup is uniformly hot. Add salt and pepper to taste.