Chilled Spring Pea Soup
by Gordon Ramsay
from
(Ten Speed Press, 2000)
Serves 4 as a first course
I made a few changes which are noted below.
Directions:
4 ounces lightly smoked sliced bacon *
2 shallots, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fresh peas in pods, shelled
2 tablespoons dry white wine
4 cups vegetable stock or light chicken stock
Water *
1/2 cup heavy cream, plus a little extra for serving
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup heavy cream, plus a little extra for serving
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Reserve 4 slices of bacon and chop the rest. *
Place the chopped bacon in a saucepan with the shallots and oil.
Heat until sizzling, then sweat over a low heat for about 5 minutes.
Add the peas and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes.
Pour in the wine and cook until it has evaporated.
Stir in the stock and 1 cup of water, and bring to a boil. Season with salt and pepper, and simmer for 15 minutes. Blend in a food processor or blender until smooth, then pass through a fine sieve into a bowl, rubbing with the back of a ladle. Leave to cool and then refrigerate.
Meanwhile, bake the reserved bacon on a rack, placed in a shallow, rimmed baking pan and bake at 350* (F) until as crisp as you like. Keep warm.
When the soup is well chilled, taste and adjust seasonings.
Whisk in the cream. season again as necessary.
Serve in bowls with a little drizzle of chilled cream on top ,
garnish each with a warm bacon slice bacon.
My changes:
- I use a 16 ounce bag of frozen green peas
- I barely cooked the peas until they were thawed and warmed.
- I omitted the 1 cup of water.
- I did not pass the soup through a seive, instead I whirred it in the blender on high a bit longer until it was perfectly smooth. (The choice is yours.)
- I reduced the amount of bacon to 5 slices as I didn't care for the bacon cooked with the peas and whizzed up in the stock, it gave the soup an odd flavor, in my opinion.
- Instead I baked the slices, and crumbled one into the soup before serving, I used the remaining four as garnish, as indicated.
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