Chilled Asparagus Soup
We hit 92°F yesterday so dinner called for something chilled to beat the heat. Chilled asparagus soup made for a cool, clean and refreshing dinner on a hot May day. The soup was garnished with blanched asparagus tips, chive blossoms and sour cream. It was served with a cheese board of local cheeses: Hidden Springs Creamery’s Bohemian Blue, Bleu Mont Dairy’s Bandage Cheddar and Butler Farms’ Aged Tomme. We served this with one of my favorite quick side breads – griddle scones from James Beard’s “Beard on Bread”.
Recipe: Chilled Asparagus Soup with Chives and Sour Cream
Summary: Quick to make and refreshing on a hot day, chilled soups are staple for Summer months. This soup is fresh tasting and slightly sweet from the asparagus. The sour cream adds a rich tang and the chive blossoms as a piquant peppery bite.
Ingredients
- 1 recipe of Asparagus Court Bouillon (see below)
- 1.5 pounds of Asparagus
- 1 small boiling Potato (optional)
- Salt and Pepper
- Chive Blossoms or Chives
- Sour Cream
Instructions
- Cut the tips from 24 asparagus spears. You will use these as a garnish in the soup so pick the prettiest ones. I cut my to about 2 inch lengths. Set them aside.
- Chop the rest of the asparagus into 1/4″ lengths. Split any large thick stalks in half first. You want pieces that will cook quickly and that will be easy to puree later.
- If you are using the potato, peel and cut the potato into 1/4 inch dice. The potato adds starch to the soup and helps thicken the soup.
- Clean out your sink and set up an ice bath.
- Bring 4 cups of the court bouillon to boil in a 2 quart sauce pan. If you have just strained the hot bouillon into your sauce pan, you need to ladle out 4 cups into a bowl. Reserve the extra to thin the soup if needed.
- Add the asparagus tips and boil until bright green (about 2 minutes). Use a slotted spoon to remove the tips and put them in the ice bath to chill and to stop them cooking.
- If you are using the potato, add it to the bouillon and simmer for 10 minutes before adding the asparagus. We want it to cook until it is very soft by the time the asparagus gets done.
- Add the rest of the chopped asparagus to the bouillon and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until the asparagus is tender but it hasn’t lost its color.
- Remove from the heat and puree using an emersion blender or in batches in a food processor or blender. You want to the soup to be very smooth. Add additional court bouillon as needed if the soup is too thick.
- Once you have a good consistency, add a couple of pinches of salt and a very good grind of black pepper. Stir and taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Move to the ice bath and chill well before refrigerating.
- To serve, ladle soup into four bowls, decorate with the asparagus tips, add a dollop of sour cream and the chive flowers. Top with a grind of fresh pepper.
Recipe: Asparagus Court Bouillon
Summary: This is the base stock for the rest of the soup. A court bouillon is a quickly boiled stock. This court bouillon has a wonder light and slightly sweet flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 small yellow Onions – quartered and peeled
- 1 medium Carrot – washed and snapped into quarters
- 1 quart of Asparagus Peels and stem-ends (I collect these in a ziplock bag in my freezer).
- Bouquet Garni of 2 Bay Leaves, 2 stalks of parsley and one bunch of thyme sprigs tied together in cheese cloth.
- 8 Cups cold water
Instructions
- Put the asparagus stems and trimmings and carrot and onion into a large stock pot. Cook over medium high heat for a 5 minutes or until they begin to sweat. Add the bouquet garni and the cold water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes.
- If you want to taste your court bouillon as it cooks, ladle a small amount into a glass and add a few grains of salt. If you don’t add salt, it will taste completely flat. Swirl to dissolve the salt and sip.
- After 30 minutes, the asparagus will start to fall apart and the vegetables will be soft. The asparagus will have lost a lot of its color as well.
- Place a colander over a 2 quart sauce pan or a large bowl. Carefully pour the court bouillon into the colander. Press down gently on the solids in colander to wring out the liquid. Discard the vegetables and bouquet garni.
- Do not salt your court bouillon. What ever you make with it could become too salty if you reduce the bouillon. Transfer to freezer containers (I use 2 cup containers) and freeze.
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