Asparagus Soup / Crème d'Asperges
Description
This classic, French soup is simple and easy to make ahead of dinner and just warm it again before you serve it. It is an outstanding choice for entertaining when asparagus is in season, and one of our favorites from another vegetable in our garden.
At a Glance
Equipment
It is helpful to have a hand-immersion blender to prepare this wonderful, French soup.
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
2 bunches of Asparagus, cut into ½-inch pieces after trimming all of the “woody” pieces from the ends
1 large White Onion
4 cloves of Garlic
⅓ cup of fresh Parsley
3-½ cups of Chicken Broth
2 ounces of Pancetta, cooked in a sauté pan until crisp and set aside
1 teaspoon of fresh Thyme, finely chopped
1 teaspoon of Kosher Salt
1 tablespoon of Green Peppercorns in Brine, blended down in a blender until smooth
½ cup of Sour Cream
1 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream
1 tablespoon of French Niçoise Sauce per bowl of soup (and you can easily access that recipe by clicking on that recipe title)
Directions
Heat a heavy, large saucepan over a low heat. Add the butter, the onions, the garlic, the thyme, and cook them until the onions are translucent. Add the chicken broth and bring it to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling, add the asparagus, the parsley, the blended-down green peppercorns, and salt and cook it until the asparagus pieces are tender (about 45 minutes). Once the asparagus is tender, remove the soup from the stove and let it cool. Once the soup has cooled, use a hand-immersion blender or a standard blender to make the soup into a creamy, luscious soup.
Return the soup to the stove in a saucepan, add the heavy whipping cream, half of the pancetta, and half of the sour cream to it. Heat it for about 10 minutes, stirring to mix all ingredients.
Pour the soup into bowls, and then add a dollop of the remaining sour cream, top it with a bit of the pancetta in each bowl, and drizzle about 1 tablespoon of the Niçoise Sauce to each bowl. Serve immediately while hot. Enjoy!
