Recipe courtesy of Sam Champion
Potage Dame Edmee (Fresh Green Pea and Chicken Soup)
- Yield: Serves eight
Ingredients
Chicken, stock, peas, butter, onion, lettuce, spinach, herbs, egg yolks, cream
Directions
- In a large saucepan put 4 cups of fresh peas, 6 tablespoons of butter, 1 finely minced onion, a tender head of garden lettuce cut into julienne strips, about 15 leaves of fresh spinach, 4 sprigs parsley, a few sprigs of chervil if you have it, 2 teaspoons of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 3/4 cups water. Cover the saucepan, bring the soup to a boil, and cook it over a moderate fire until the peas are tender. Meanwhile, boil 1 cup of fresh peas, in a separate pan, to add to the soup later.
- Pass the soup through a strainer, or a vegetable mill, pressing the vegetables through with the liquid. Return the soup to the saucepan, add 3 cups of chicken stock, stir well, and simmer over a low fire for about 15 minutes. Then add the extra cup of peas, drained, and 1/4 cup cooked white meat of chicken, cut into very fine julienne strips.
- Mix 3 egg yolks with 1 1/2 cups of light cream and add this gradually to the soup, stirring constantly. Continue cooking until the soup thickens to a creamy consistency, but do not let it boil.
Cook’s Note
The next time you boil a chicken for a fricassee, reserve some of the white meat and stock for this delectable soup. (Or you may use leftover roast chicken and canned chicken broth.)