Asparagus Velouté Recipes

ASPARAGUS VELOUTE (VELVET SOUP, HOT OR COLD)

Steps:

• 1. Sort out 12 most attractive spears, cut off the tips to use for garnish. Roughly chop the rest and set aside.
• 2. Heat olive oil and 1/2 the butter in a large pot and add the chopped onion, chopped celery, and a seasoning of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently with wooden spoon, till vegetables begin to soften, 4-6 min. Add the chopped asparagus and the thyme, and nutmeg, and stir over high heat until asparagus is tender but stillvibrant green, 3-4 min. Pour in just enough stock (chicken or vegetable) to cover and simmer for 2 min. Remove from heat.
• 3. Blend soup while it is still hot. Place 1/2 the vegetables in a food processor or blender using a slotted spoon, add 1 or 2 ladles of hot stock, and puree well, pour through a strainer or seive and repeat till all is complete. Discard pulp....Stir in remaining stock stirring in till well blended you will have a creamy consistency. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed, add a little lemon juice if you like, do not over season, especially if you are serving cold...
• 4. When ready to serve add the cream, as not to scortch, just to a simmer. Meanwhile, saute the asparagus tips in the remaining butter with someseasoning in a hot frying pan or saute pan. Add a splash of water, cover the pan, and let the asparagus steam until just tender, 2-3 min.
• 5. Pour soup into warm bowls garnish with asparagus tips. Drizzle with a little olive oil over the top and serve immediately.

ASPARAGUS VELOUTé

Steps:

• 1. Wash the asparagus. Cut 2 inches (5 cm.) off the tips and save them for another use. Do not peel the stalks but cut them into 15-inch (3-cm.) pieces.
• 2. Bring the stock or broth to a boil in a soup pot. When it bubbles, add the asparagus pieces and sugar. Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• 3. Blend and pass through a fine strainer (a chinois if possible), pressing on the solids with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Put the soup back in the pot, bring back to a boil, and boil about 30 minutes more.
• 4. Thoroughly mix the cornstarch in a bowl with 1 tablespoon cold water. Beat the yolk and cream together in a bowl large enough to hold all the soup.
• 5. When the soup in the pot has been reduced by about half, whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly, and then gently pour everything into the bowl with the egg-cream mixture, whisking as you pour.
• 6. Pour the contents of the bowl back into the soup pot and heat very gently in order to thicken. Stir with a spatula and turn off the heat at the first sign of boiling. Blend. Season with salt as necessary.