alainbriongloid ([info]alainbriongloid) wrote in [info]food_porn,
@ 2008-01-03 20:32:00
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Current mood: bouncy

Cream of Spinach Soup


This is one of my all-time favorite soups to make. It's light and creamy and not-at-all heavy, despite the use of heavy cream and egg yolk. I like to serve this along side the crab quiche I'll be posting about next.


Cream of Spinach Soup

1/4 cup minced onions

2 tablespoons butter

2 bunches spinach

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons flour

4 cups chicken stock, boiling

2 egg yolks

1 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy, 2- to 3-quart saucepan, cook the onion in butter for 10 minutes, or until tender. Trim, wash and dry the spinach, saving a few leaves for garnish. Add the leaves and tender stems to the onion. Sprinkle with salt. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the flour, cook for 5 minutes, add the boiling stock and cook 5 minutes longer. Puree mixture in a food processor or force through a food mill. Set aside, uncovered, until ready to serve.

To serve, immerse reserved spinach leaves in boiling water for 30 seconds and then freshen in ice water. Reheat the soup to a simmer. Beat the egg yolks into the cream. Add the soup very slowly to the egg-cream mixture, whisking vigorously. Return the soup to the stove to heat but do not allow to simmer or the yolks will curdle. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with spinach leaves. Makes 2 to 4 servings.




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[info]abbysiuta
2008-01-04 02:00 am UTC (link)
I LOVE spinach and this is now on my to make this weekend list!

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[info]alainbriongloid
2008-01-04 02:09 am UTC (link)
:) great! I hope you enjoy it!

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[info]talking_natural
2008-01-04 01:47 pm UTC (link)
*cries* I adore spinach and I'm no longer allowed diary. This looks like the nicest recipe I've seen for a long time. *wonders how much this recipe would change with soya products*

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[info]alainbriongloid
2008-01-04 02:29 pm UTC (link)
I would think it would be fine... I've not tried it with this recipe but I have used soya before and think it would work.

Another thing... the soup without the cream and egg is pretty darn good too. I've made too much before and only used the cream and egg on the portion I needed for service and kept the rest for myself and thought it was yummy, not as creamy, of course... but intensely flavorful.

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[info]talking_natural
2008-01-04 02:48 pm UTC (link)
Always a bonus to know that a recipe works just as well with something missing. Soya is normally a safe bet for exchange so I'll give it a go. I'll just have to make even to try half with soya and half plain as it were.

Edited at 2008-01-04 02:48 pm UTC

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[info]duchess_k
2008-01-06 06:06 am UTC (link)
You know, I made a pureed celery root bisque for xmas, and it was totally dairy-free, but was so silken and creamy I couldn't believe it. I could easily see throwing in a bunch of spinach to make an analog of this recipe. It was a recipe in the Gourmet cookbook--let me know if you'd like me to post it.

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[info]talking_natural
2008-01-06 05:56 pm UTC (link)
Ooooh yes please. That would be great. Thank you.

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Not verbatim...
[info]duchess_k
2008-01-06 09:36 pm UTC (link)
I've inserted some commentary in the recipe...

1 celery root, about 1 1/2 lbs
4 T unsalted butter (you could sub olive oil)
1/2 lb shallots (about 6 large)
2 celery ribs
Salt & pepper
8 cups water
1 T fresh lemon juice

Cube celery root into 1/2" cubes, thinly slice shallots, chop celery ribs. Cook in the butter or oil until golden, about 12 minutes (not so hot that it browns/scorches, but you need pretty vigorous heat to get it to turn golden instead of just sweating. Depth of flavor comes from this process.). Salt and pepper to taste (this benefits from liberal salting otherwise it can be bland). Add water and bring to a boil until roots are very tender, about 15 minutes. Let cool some for safety, the puree. The recipe says to do batches in the blender but I used an immersion blender with great success). Add lemon juice and correct seasoning. Add more water if too thick (consistency was perfect for me).

Optional step, which I did and was YUMMY--shred 1 confit duck leg, and brown the skin in a skillet until crispy to make cracklings. Crumble over top before serving. Delicious!

I was astonished at how sophisticated this simple soup was, and it really was velvety. I could see adding 1/2 bag of frozen spinach as you add the water and boil. I would probably increase the lemon juice, and add a pinch of nutmeg. Mmmm, just may have to try this version!

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Re: Not verbatim...
[info]duchess_k
2008-01-06 09:40 pm UTC (link)
Ugh, I need a paid account so I can edit...missing half of a parenthesis...but mostly realized the duck instructions were ambiguous. You add the shredded meat to the soup right before serving, and then sprinkle the cracklings on top. The cracklings are best if liberally salted while still hot, and then blot the grease off after cooling. You may be vegetarian, making this step irrelevant, but added in case anybody else was curious...

The recipe also presented the option of a dollop of unsweetened whipped cream on top, but of course that is dairy. :)

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Re: Not verbatim...
[info]talking_natural
2008-01-06 10:01 pm UTC (link)
Thank you. It sounds great and I like the idea of having it with duck. It seems like such a quick and simple recipe and I look forward to trying it.

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