Cream Of Watercress Soup With Warm Herbal Drop Scones Recipes

WATERCRESS SOUP

Steps:

• Heat a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add oil and garlic, cook until sizzling and fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in potato and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook 1 minute.
• Add stock and 1 1/2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in watercress. Return to a boil. Reduce to a simmer for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Divide among soup bowls and squeeze a lemon wedge into each bowl. Serve immediately.

COLD CREAM OF WATERCRESS SOUP

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepan with olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and the watercress stems only and saute until wilted, about 10 minutes.
• Add the chicken stock and potatoes and season well with salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare an ice water bath by partially filling your largest mixing bowl with ice cubes and water.
• In batches to avoid overfilling and splattering, ladle the soup into a blender or food processor, adding some of the creme fraiche and watercress leaves with each batch and reserving about 2 dozen whole leaves for a garnish. Puree each batch and transfer to a fine-meshed strainer held over a large mixing bowl that fits inside the ice water bath, using a rubber spatula to press the puree through the strainer. Taste the puree, adjust the seasonings, if necessary, with more salt and pepper, and stir in the lemon juice.
• Place the bowl of soup inside the ice water bath and chill it until cool, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Remove the bowl of soup from the ice water bath, dry its underside, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
• Before serving, taste the soup. If it is too thick, thin it with a little cold milk, chicken stock, or water, to a thick, creamy consistency. Adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Ladle into chilled bowls and decoratively garnish each serving with a few of the reserved watercress leaves.

CHILLED WATERCRESS SOUP WITH ONION CREAM

Steps:

• For soup:
• Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until soft, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Add leek and sauté 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. Allow broth to cool uncovered 15 minutes.
• Place 3 cups watercress in blender. Pour half of warm broth mixture over watercress and blend until smooth.
• Add half and half and blend until combined. Transfer soup to bowl. Puree remaining broth mixture in blender until smooth; stir into soup in bowl. If more watercress flavor is desired, puree 1/2 cup watercress with 2 cups soup in same blender. Repeat with more watercress, if desired. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and chill until cold, at least 4 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
• For green onion cream:
• Whisk crème fraîche, white and pale green parts of green onions, and all remaining ingredients in small bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)
• Divide soup among 6 shallow bowls. Drizzle with green onion cream; sprinkle with sliced dark green onion tops.

CHILLED CREAM OF WATERCRESS SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter in large pan over low heat. Add potatoes and leeks and sweat off gently for 5 minutes.
• Add the stock and bring to the boil. Reduce heat, cover and gently cook for around 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
• Remove the pan from the heat and add the watercress (put 4 sprigs to one side for the garnish). add 3/4 of the cream and blend in a blender/processor until completely smooth.
• Season to taste then chill well before serving. Serve with a swirl of cream and a sprig if watercress.

CREAM OF WATERCRESS SOUP

Steps:

• Melt butter and sauté onion until transparent.
• Add potato, watercress, milk and stock.
• Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 20 minutes
• Blend in a processor.
• Add cream and seasoning. Heat if needed.

CREAM OF WATERCRESS SOUP WITH PAN-SEARED SCALLOPS

Steps:

• Melt 3 tablespoons butter in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leeks and potatoes; sauté until leeks are tender, about 4 minutes. Add chicken broth. Bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Add chopped watercress. Cover; let stand until watercress wilts, about 5 minutes.
• Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return soup to saucepan. Whisk in sour cream. Thin soup with milk to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate.) Stir soup over low heat just until heated through (do not boil).
• Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter with oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add scallops to skillet and cook until golden brown and just cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Sprinkle scallops with salt and pepper.
• Ladle soup into bowls. Place 1 scallop atop soup in each bowl. Garnish with watercress sprigs and serve.