Recipe courtesy of Wolfgang Puck
Cold Cream of Watercress Soup
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 8 servings
- Calories
- 348
- Total Fat
- 18
- Saturated Fat
- 5
- Carbohydrates
- 39
- Dietary Fiber
- 3
- Sugar
- 6
- Protein
- 10
- Cholesterol
- 20
- Sodium
- 1012
- Total: 45 min
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 30 min
Ingredients
6 tablespoons olive oil
4 leeks, white parts only, thoroughly washed and chopped
3 bunches watercress, thoroughly washed, leaves separated from stems, stems chopped
6 cups chicken stock
5 medium baking potatoes, peeled and sliced
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup creme fraiche or 1/2 cup each heavy cream and sour cream
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions
- 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.