by Julia Child
Cold Mushroom Soup
Omit the final butter enrichment, and oversalt slightly. Stir several times as the soup cools, then cover and chill. Blend in more cream, if you wish, just before serving.
VARIATIONS
The following recipes are all for 6 to 7 cups of soup, serving 4 to 6. All may be served either hot or cold, as for the mushroom soup.
Potage de la Fontaine Dureau
[Cream of Cauliflower and Watercress Soup]
This is a delicious and unusual, as well as a pretty, soup.
1) The velouté base
1 cup sliced leeks and/or onions
4 Tb butter
3 Tb flour
6 cups liquid (hot water, or part hot water and part milk)
2 tsp salt
Pinch white pepper
Following the Master Recipe for mushroom soup, cook the onions in the butter until tender, stir in the flour and cook 1 minute, blend in the liquid, then simmer slowly while preparing the vegetables.
2) The vegetables—finishing the soup
A 6- to 7-inch head of cauliflower (1¼ to 1½ lbs.)
A large pan of boiling salted water
1 bunch watercress (about 2 packed cups)
⅓ to ½ cup or more heavy cream
2 to 4 Tb soft butter
Break cauliflower into flowerettes and peel central stem; retain any tender leaves. Drop flowerettes and stem (not leaves) into the boiling water, bring rapidly back to the boil; boil uncovered for 2 minutes. Drain, add to soup base, and simmer 15 minutes. Meanwhile, discard any wilted leaves and stems from watercress, wash cress and chop roughly. After cauliflower has simmered 15 minutes, add the cress and reserved cauliflower leaves. Simmer 10 minutes more; purée. Add the cream, and correct seasoning. Reheat only just before serving, to preserve the watercress green, then remove from heat and stir in the butter enrichment.
Potage Crème aux Oignons, Soubise
[Cream of Onion Soup]
This is a soup for onion lovers, and a pleasant change from the usual brown onion soup. The little touch of curry and a bit of wine give it special flavor, while the addition of rice turns it into a soubise.
1) The onion-velouté soup base
3 to 4 cups sliced onions
4 Tb butter
1 tsp curry powder
2 Tb flour
2 cups hot water
2 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine or ⅓ cup dry white French vermouth
⅓ cup plain white rice
1 bay leaf
Salt and white pepper to taste
Following the Master Recipe for mushroom soup, cook the onions in the butter until tender but not browned. Add curry and cook 1 minute more, then add flour and cook 2 minutes without browning. Remove from heat, beat in the hot water, then the chicken stock and the wine. Bring to simmer and sprinkle in the rice; add bay leaf, and season to taste. Simmer 30 minutes. Purée.
2) Finishing the soup
2 to 3 cups milk
⅓ to ½ cup or more heavy cream
2 to 4 Tb soft butter
2 to 3 Tb fresh minced chervil or parsley
Bring soup to the simmer. Thin out to desired consistency with milk, stir in the cream, and carefully correct seasoning. Reheat again to simmer just before serving; remove from heat and stir in the butter, then the herbs.
A POTATO-BASED SOUP
POTAGE CÉLESTINE
[Celery Soup with Potatoes, Leeks, and Rice]
This is leek and potato soup with a celery twist, and is equally good hot or cold.
For about 8 cups, serving 6 people
1) The leeks and celery
The white part of 2 medium leeks, sliced; or 1¼ cups sliced onions
3 cups sliced celery stalks
¼ tsp salt
3 Tb butter
A heavy-bottomed 3-quart stainless or enameled saucepan with cover
4 cups light chicken stock, or canned chicken broth and water
⅓ cup plain white rice
Cook the vegetables slowly with the salt and butter in the covered saucepan until tender but not browned—about 10 minutes. Add the liquid, bring to the boil, stir in the rice, and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes.
2) The potatoes
3 or 4 medium baking potatoes, peeled and chopped (about 3 cups)
2 cups water
½ tsp salt
Another heavy 3-quart saucepan
A food mill with medium disk, a potato ricer, or an electric blender
2 cups milk heated in a small pan
A wire whip and a wooden spoon
Meanwhile, boil the potatoes with the water and salt. When tender, drain their cooking water into the leeks and celery. If you are using a food mill or ricer, purée the potatoes, return to saucepan, and beat in the milk to make a smooth, white cream. If you are using a blender, purée the potatoes with a cup of the milk, pour into saucepan, and beat in the rest of the milk.
3) Finishing the soup—herb-butter and croûton garnish
⅛ teaspoon sugar (to bring out the flavor)
Salt and white pepper
Purée the leek and celery mixture with its liquid into the potato cream. Blend well with wire whip and bring to the simmer; beat in sugar and seasonings to taste.
(*) Set aside uncovered until shortly before serving.
A heated soup tureen, or a bowl and soup cups
4 to 6 Tb soft butter
3 Tb minced fresh chervil or tarragon; or minced fresh parsley and ¼ tsp crumbled dried tarragon
½ to ¾ cup croûtons (see directions following Cold Soup)
Bring the soup to the simmer. Mash the butter and herbs in the soup tureen (or in the bowl, and divide among your soup cups). Blend the hot soup into the herb butter, sprinkle the croûtons on top, and serve immediately.
Cold Celery Soup
Omit the butter enrichment and the croûtons; oversalt soup slightly. Mash the herbs with ¼ cup heavy cream or sour cream, stir into the soup, and chill. Stir in more chilled cream, if you wish, before serving, and decorate with fresh minced herbs or parsley.
Croûtons
[Small Cubes of Bread Sautéed in Butter]
Stale, homemade-type white bread
A baking sheet
Clarified butter (butter melted, skimmed, and poured off milky residue in bottom of pan)
A frying pan, preferably the no-stick kind
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Remove crusts and, if unsliced, cut bread into ¼-inch slices. Then cut into ¼-inch strips; cut strips crosswise to make ¼-inch cubes. Spread cubes on baking sheet and dry out in middle level of oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until outside is dry but not browning; this will prevent bread from absorbing too much butter when sautéed. Film pan with a ⅛-inch layer of clarified butter, set over moderate heat until it bubbles; add just enough bread cubes to make 1 layer. Sauté, shaking and tossing pan by handle, until cubes are a light golden brown, adding a little more butter if necessary to keep bread from burning. Let cool on paper towels.
(*) May be cooked in advance. May also be frozen, then thawed and crisped for a few minutes in a 375-degree oven.
SOUPS WITH A FARINA THICKENING
Rather than thickening soups with flour, rice, or potatoes, you may use semoule de blé, semolina, also known as farina or cream of wheat. This makes a pleasant change and also imparts its own subtle taste and texture.
POTAGE AUX CONCOMBRES
[Cream of Cucumber Soup]
The only thing to say about this soup is that it is perfectly delicious; it is especially good cold, but then it is also especially good hot.
For 6 to 7 cups, serving 4 to 6
1) The cucumbers
1½ lbs. cucumbers (3, about 8 inches long)
Peel the cucumbers. Cut 18 to 24 paper-thin slices and reserve in a bowl for later. Cut the rest of the cucumbers into half-inch chunks: you will have about 4½ cups.
2) The soup
½ cup mince
d shallots, or a combination of shallots, scallions, and/or onions
3 Tb butter
A heavy-bottomed stainless or enameled saucepan with cover
6 cups liquid: light chicken stock, or canned broth and water
1½ tsp wine vinegar
¾ tsp dried dill weed or tarragon
4 Tb quick-cooking farina (cream of wheat) breakfast cereal
A food mill with medium disk, or an electric blender
More liquid if necessary
Cook the shallots, scallions, or onions slowly in the butter for several minutes until tender but not browned. Add the cucumber chunks, chicken broth, vinegar, and herbs. Bring to the boil, then stir in the farina. Simmer, partially covered, for 20 to 25 minutes. Purée, and return the soup to the pan. Thin out with more liquid if necessary; season carefully with salt and pepper.
(*) May be prepared in advance to this point.
Salt and white pepper
Soup bowls
1 cup sour cream
1 to 2 Tb minced fresh dill, tarragon, or parsley
Bring to simmer just before serving, and beat in ½ cup sour cream. Ladle into soup bowls, place a dollop of sour cream in each bowl, float slices of cucumber on top of cream, and decorate with a sprinkling of herbs.
Cold Cucumber Soup
After stirring in the ½ cup sour cream, oversalt slightly and let cool uncovered, stirring occasionally. Then cover and chill. Ladle into chilled soup cups, adding a big spoonful of sour cream to each cup; float cucumber slices on top of the cream and decorate with herbs.
VARIATION
Potage aux Courgettes
[Cream of Zucchini Soup]
You may substitute zucchini for cucumbers in the preceding soup, but do not peel them. Cut off stem and tip, scrub with a vegetable brush, and proceed exactly as for the cucumber soup. Decorate with herbs, however, rather than with zucchini slices.
POTAGE UNTEL
[Green Turnip Soup]
This is one of those soups with a marvelous and unusual flavor that is difficult to decipher unless you are told the combination. Then the tastes of turnip and greens disclose themselves. You may not find any green leaves attached to your turnips unless they grow nearby and it is turnip season, which is winter or early spring. Spinach leaves do nicely, however.
1) The turnips
1½ lbs. fresh white turnips, peeled and quartered (about 5 cups)
3 Tb butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1½ cups water
A heavy-bottomed 3-quart stainless or enameled saucepan with cover
Boil the turnips slowly with the seasonings, butter, and water in a covered saucepan for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a knife. Uncover, raise heat, and boil to evaporate liquid; toss turnips in the butter, which remains, for 2 minutes.
2) The greens
Either 4 packed cups tender fresh turnip greens and fresh spinach;
Or a 10-ounce package of fresh spinach;
Or ½ package frozen spinach thawed in cold water and squeezed dry
2 Tb butter
A 10-inch stainless or enameled skillet
2 wooden spoons
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp sugar
Meanwhile, discard any wilted leaves from fresh greens and spinach, wash thoroughly and drain well. Heat butter in a skillet to bubbling over moderately high heat. Add greens and spinach, turn and toss with the 2 wooden spoons; sprinkle with salt and sugar and continue tossing for 2 to 3 minutes until greens are limp and fairly tender.
3) The soup
A food mill with medium disk, or an electric blender
4 cups liquid: light chicken stock, or canned broth and water
3 Tb quick-cooking farina (cream of wheat) breakfast cereal
1 to 2 cups milk
Salt and pepper
1 to 2 Tb lemon juice
Purée the 2 vegetables together and bring to simmer in turnip-cooking pan with the broth. Sprinkle in the farina and simmer 5 to 6 minutes until farina is tender. Thin out to desired consistency with milk; season carefully with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
(*) May be prepared in advance to this point.
2 to 4 Tb soft butter
Bring again to simmer just before serving; remove from heat and stir in the butter a teaspoon at a time.
Alternate enrichments, cold soup
You may wish to enrich the soup with sour cream instead of butter, as for the preceding Cucumber Soup, or with cream and egg yolks as in the Spinach Soup. In any case, you may also serve it cold as suggested in both recipes.
THREE PEASANT SOUPS
POTAGE MAGALI
[Mediterranean Tomato Soup with Rice]
Typically Mediterranean, with its onions, tomatoes, garlic, saffron, and native herbs, this fragrant soup is even named after the Provençal heroine of many an operetta. It is best when tomatoes are at the season’s peak, but the hothouse type can be pepped up with a bit of tomato paste.
For 7 to 8 cups, serving 4 to 6
1) The soup base
¾ cup combination of thinly sliced leeks and onions, or onions only
3 Tb olive oil
A heavy-bottomed 3-quart stainless or enameled saucepan with cover
1½ lbs. fresh, ripe, red tomatoes
4 large cloves garlic, minced or mashed
4 to 5 cups liquid: light chicken stock, or canned broth and water
¼ cup plain, raw, white rice
The following tied in washed cheesecloth: 6 parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaf, ¼ tsp thyme, 4 fennel seeds, and, if available, 6 large fresh basil leaves
A large pinch of saffron threads
Salt and pepper
Cook the leeks and onions slowly in the oil until tender but not browned. Meanwhile, peel and halve the tomatoes, squeeze out seeds and reserve juice. Chop tomato pulp roughly and stir into the cooked leeks and onions. Add the garlic and stir over moderate heat for 3 minutes. Then add the tomato juice and liquid, bring to the boil, and sprinkle in the rice. Add the herbs and saffron; season to taste with salt and pepper. Simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes.
2) Finishing the soup
If necessary: pinches of sugar
1 tsp or more tomato paste
Salt and pepper
Carefully taste for seasoning, adding pinches of sugar to bring out flavor and counteract acidity, and small amounts of tomato paste if needed for color and taste. Remove herb bouquet.
(*) May be prepared ahead to this point.
2 or more Tb minced fresh basil, chervil, or parsley
Serve either hot or chilled, sprinkled with fresh herbs.
SOUPE CATALANE AUX POIVRONS
[Catalonian Pepper and Leek Soup]
Another Mediterranean soup uses the same principles as the preceding potage Magali, and the same general ingredients. Here the character comes from sweet peppers rather than tomatoes, a touch of ham or salt pork, and a typically regional final liaison of egg yolks and olive oil.
For 7 to 8 cups, serving 4 to 6
1) The soup base
2½ to 3 ounces lightly smoked ham or lean salt pork, cut into ¼-inch dice (⅔ cup)
2 Tb olive oil
A heavy-bottomed 3-quart stainless or enameled saucepan with cover
2 cups diced onions
2 cups thinly sliced leeks (or more onions)
1½ cups diced bell peppers, red or green
4 large cloves garlic, minced or mashed
1 Tb flour
1 quart hot water
3 to 4 cups light beef stock, or canned chicken broth
¼ cup pasta (rice- or pepper-corn shaped, or broken vermicelli), or plain white rice
A large pinch of saffron threads
¼ tsp savory
Salt and pepper
Sauté the ham or salt pork in the oil over moderate heat until it barely begins to brown, then stir in the onions and leeks. Cook slowly several minutes until fairly tender but not brown
ed; stir in the peppers and garlic, and cook again for 3 to 4 minutes without browning. Finally sprinkle in the flour, stirring for 1 minute, and remove from heat. Blend in the hot water gradually, stir in the stock or broth, and bring to the simmer; skim off any surface scum for a minute or two, then stir in the pasta or rice. Add the saffron and savory, season to taste, and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes. Carefully correct seasoning.
(*)May be prepared ahead to this point; let cool uncovered. Bring again to the simmer just before serving. You may also make the egg-yolk and oil enrichment in advance and store it in a covered jar.
2) Finishing the soup
2 egg yolks
A wire whip
A soup tureen or large mixing bowl
¼ cup olive oil
A ladle
Beat the egg yolks in the bottom of the tureen or bowl until thick and sticky; by droplets, beat in the olive oil exactly as though you were making a thick mayonnaise. Stirring it, dribble in the hot soup until you have added 2 cups; gradually stir in the rest. Serve immediately.