My favorite soups are the amuse-gueule soups, canapé soups, which we serve in demitasse or small soup cups: just two or three sips of intense lobster, of intense fennel, avocado, or watercress. It’s the explosion of flavor that’s so exciting—taking an ingredient and making it more than what it was to begin with.
Soup is simple. Identify your ingredient, cook it perfectly, and adjust the consistency. First, your main ingredient must be of prime quality: If you’re making turnip soup, you want a really good turnip. When you have your ingredient, ask yourself, “How do I cook this best?” Carrots? They’re a root vegetable, so you glaze them. If you glaze them perfectly, there’s your soup—just adjust the consistency with stock or other liquid. Green vegetables? Start by “big-pot blanching”, then purée, add liquid, and strain—there’s your soup.
The liquid depends on your ingredient. If it’s turnips, you can use chicken stock, because a turnip has a very sharp forward flavor that won’t be lost beneath the chicken flavor. Favas, though, are so delicate and fresh you may not even want vegetable stock, maybe just enough water to bring the purée to the right consistency.
We try to make eight soups every day, and the single idea behind them is to intensify the flavor and color of the main ingredient. One spoonful of carrot soup should deliver the flavor of several carrots. A case of watercress makes only twelve ounces of purée. It then needs to be diluted, like an artist’s paint that needs to be thinned with a neutral oil before it can be put on the canvas.
Certainly there are issues of finesse, such as adding cream. Cream tends to mute flavors, but it adds body and texture. Adding oils to soups finishes and enriches them; the pea soup with white truffle oil is a perfect example. We use lobster stock for two soups. For the consommé, we clarify it, gel it, and top it with crème fraîche. For the broth, we reduce the stock to a glace and cream it: the ultimate lobster taste.
LOBSTER STOCK
¼ cup canola oil
3¼ pounds lobster bodies (about 12 to 13 bodies), quartered
1½ cups (6½ ounces) chopped fennel
1¾ cups (8 ounces) sliced carrots
3 cups (8 ounces) sliced button mushrooms
1½ cups (6 ounces) sliced shallots
1 cup dry vermouth
6 quarts water
4 cloves garlic
½ cup (1 ounce) tightly packed tarragon sprigs
4 pounds chopped tomatoes (7 cups)
CLARIFICATION RAFT
Generous ¼ cup (1½ ounces) chopped fennel
Generous ¾ cup (4 ounces) chopped carrots
⅓ cup (2 ounces) chopped onion
3 large egg whites
¼ cup lobster coral (roe), at room temperature (optional, but recommended)
4 gelatin sheets (see Sources, soaked in cold water to soften
A small piece of lobster coral (optional)
½ cup crème fraîche, whipped
About 2 tablespoons Brunoise
Be sure to have the correct amount of liquid before adding the gelatin; simmer the stock to reduce it to the exact quantity specified. Because this soup is extradorinarily rich—lobster essence, magnified—we serve it in very small bowls or demitasse cups, just two ounces per serving. This recipe will make four cups of consommé. I don’t recommend reducing the recipe further, but any extra consommé can be frozen.
FOR THE STOCK: Heat the oil in a large rondeau, or deep straight-sided braising pan, over medium-high heat just until it smokes. Add the lobster bodies and sauté, turning often, until they turn red, 3 to 4 minutes. Be careful not to let them burn. (If your pot is not large enough to accomplish this easily, do it in two batches.)
Add the fennel, carrots, mushrooms, and shallots. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, to soften but not color the vegetables. Add the vermouth, water, garlic, tarragon, and tomatoes and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the stock simmer for 2 hours.
Strain the stock through a China cap, smashing the shells and vegetables with a wooden spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the shells and vegetables and pour the stock through a chinois, tapping the top rim to help it run through. Do not stir or force any remaining solids through the strainer; they would cloud the stock. There should be approximately 4 quarts of stock. Let cool to room temperature. The stock can be refrigerated for up to 1 day.
Remove and discard any fat from the top of the stock, then place it in a heavy pot.
FOR THE CLARIFICATION RAFT: Finely grind the fennel, carrots, and onion in a meat grinder or food processor. Whisk the egg whites and the ¼ cup coral in a bowl until frothy, then stir in the ground vegetables.
Whisk the vegetable mixture into the cold stock. Place the pot over low heat and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until it reaches 128°F. Stop stirring and bring the stock to a simmer.
As the liquid begins to simmer, a raft will form over the stock. Cut a 1- to 2-inch “breather” hole in the side of the raft. You will be able to see the movement of the simmering stock through the hole. The raft acts as a filter to clarify the stock. The liquid may simmer up through the raft in a few spots, but it should never be at a full boil, which would break the clarification raft and cloud the consommé. Simmer for 1 hour. Be sure to keep the breather hole open.
Line a China cap with a damp towel or cheesecloth and set it over a deep container. Leaving behind as much of the raft as possible, ladle the stock slowly down the side of the cloth, starting at the top of the strainer. (Pouring it this way will keep the liquid from pushing through any fat or impurities that gather in the bottom of the China cap.) Tilt the pot as necessary to reach as much clear stock as possible. Leave behind any that doesn’t look clear and discard it along with the raft. You should have about 2 quarts of consommé.
You will be able to see, floating on top, any fat remaining in the consommé. Gently lay a paper towel on top of the liquid and quickly glide it over the surface. Discard the towel and repeat several more times until there is no remaining fat (which could cloud the consommé).
Line a chinois with a clean towel or cheesecloth and strain the consommé one last time into a pot. Bring it to a simmer and reduce the consommé to 1 quart. Pour into a container.
Squeeze the gelatin sheets dry and stir them into the hot consommé until completely dissolved. Set in a larger container of ice and water and let cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then refrigerate, covered, for several hours, or overnight, to gel. The consommé will keep refrigerated for up to 3 days (after 3 days, it can be reboiled and kept for 1 to 2 more days). For longer storage, it can be frozen for up to 1 month; when ready to use, defrost the consommé and bring to a boil, then cool as above and allow to re-gel in the refrigerator.
FOR THE LOBSTER CORAL (OPTIONAL): Wrap the coral in plastic wrap. Place it in a resealable plastic bag, pressing out any air from the bag, and seal the bag well. Submerge it in boiling water and cook the coral until it has turned bright red (you are making hard-boiled eggs!). Remove the coral from the bag and refrigerate it for an hour, or until it is cold.
Grate or grind the coral in a mini-blender or grinder. Store the ground coral in the refrigerator until ready to use, or for up to 1 day, or wrap well and freeze for up to several months. (The cooked coral can be frozen as a solid piece and then grated while still frozen when ready to use.)
TO COMPLETE: Break up the cold consommé with a spoon and place about ¼ cup in each serving cup or bowl. Top each serving of consommé with a quenelle, or small oval scoop, of whipped crème fraîche and sprinkle with the brunoise and, if using, grated lobster coral.
makes 16 servings (4 cups)
Making consommé is an exacting process, but the results are amazing. The powerful lobster jelly melts in your mouth and the vegetables add a subtle bite. The coral is not only a color burst, it provides saltiness to the sweet lobster; and the acid in the crème fraîche makes all these colors and flavors and textures sparkle.
¼ cup canola oil
3 lobster bodies (12 ounces total), cut into quarters
1½ cups chopped tomatoes
½ cup chopped carrots
1 bunch tarragon (½ ounce)
2 cups heavy cream
Lobsters and cream is a luxurious combination, intensified here in the form of a canapé soup. I froth the broth before serving it.
When you are preparing lobsters, save the bodies to make this broth (freeze them if need be for future use). This is a very rich soup, best served in small portions.
Heat the oil in a large rondeau, or deep straight-sided braising pan. Add the lobster shells and sear over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until they turn red. (If your pot is not big enough to accomplish this easily, do it in two batches.) Add the tomatoes, carrots, and tarragon, cover the shells and vegetables with water, and bring to a boil. Skim off any impurities that rise to the top. Reduce the heat and simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Strain the stock through a large strainer or a China cap, smashing the lobster bodies with a wooden spoon to extract all the liquid, and then strain again through a chinois into a clean saucepan.
Return the strained stock to the stove and simmer until it is reduced to 1 cup. Add the heavy cream, return to a simmer, and cook, skimming occasionally, until the broth is reduced to 2 cups. Strain through a chinois into a container, discarding any solids remaining in the strainer. Cover and refrigerate the broth for several hours to chill, or for up to 3 days.
TO COMPLETE: Place the cold broth in a heavy saucepan and whisk vigorously over medium heat as you reheat it. The broth will froth as you whisk in air, Pour the hot broth into demitasse cups.
pictured here makes 6 to 8 servings (2 cups)
1 cup chopped red onions
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped English cucumber
1 cup peeled and chopped tomatoes
1½ teaspoons chopped garlic
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 cups tomato juice
Sprig of thyme
Balsamic Glaze, in a squeeze bottle
Don’t always think of gazpacho as soup. Think of it as a sauce. Think of it hot as well as cold. It goes beautifully with grilled chicken or fish. Gazpacho is served in small portions as a canapé at the French Laundry, garnished with balsamic glaze, or as a sauce with the Salad of Globe Artichokes with Garden Herbs and Gazpacho. It can also be served in larger portions as a traditional cold soup. This soup couldn’t be easier; it achieves its powerful flavor simply by overnight maceration, which is the only “cooking” involved.
Mix all the ingredients except the balsamic glaze together in a bowl or other container, cover, and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.
The next day, remove the thyme and blend all the ingredients in a blender until the gazpacho is smooth. You will have about 2 quarts. For a smoother texture, strain the soup to yield about 1 quart. Refrigerate the gazpacho until ready to serve.
TO COMPLETE: Ladle the cold soup into bowls and squeeze dots of balsamic glaze over the top.
makes 8 to 16 servings (1 quart)
3 pounds English peas, shelled (about 3 cups)
7 quarts water
About 1 cup sugar
1½ cups kosher salt
¼ to ½ cup Vegetable Stock
¼ cup water
Kosher salt and freshly ground white pepper
¼ cup white truffle oil
6 to 12 Parmesan Crisps (recipe follows) (1 per serving)
This soup should be served the the same day it’s made, as it will oxidize, or discolor, over time. The vivid green of the soup results in an extraordinary visual impact. The success of this recipe relies on the quality of the peas. Look for small sweet peas. Taste your peas for sweetness to determine the amount of sugar to add to the water (make this soup in early summer when English peas are at their peak). A Parmesan crisp is placed on each serving cup as a “lid”; be sure to make the crisps a size appropriate to your cups. This soup can be served hot or cold, but either way, I like to enrich it with white truffle oil, which enhances its luxurious flavor and texture.
Place the peas in a bowl, cover them with ice, and toss together to chill the peas (this step will help return their bright color).
Bring the water to a rolling boil in a large pot and add the sugar and salt. Lift up a small batch of peas with a strainer, letting the ice fall back into the bowl, and add them to the water. It is important that the water returns to a boil almost immediately to keep the peas a vivid green color; it may not if too many peas are added, so adjust the quantity added as necessary to maintain the boil. Cook the peas until they are tender and fully cooked, 7 to 10 minutes, depending on the quantity and quality of peas added.
While the peas cook, place a colander in a bowl of ice water. (This will make it easier to remove the chilled cooked peas from the ice.) When the peas are tender, remove them to the colander to chill as quickly as possible. Lift the colander from the ice bath and drain the peas well. Repeat this process until all the peas are cooked.
Purée the peas in a food processor, then scrape the purée through a tamis. (If the vegetables are cooked correctly, some of the purée will stick to the bottom of the wire screen, and you will have to scrape it off.) You should have about 2 cups of purée.
Place ¼ cup vegetable stock and the water in a large blender (if your blender is small you may want to do this in two batches). Add the pea purée and blend. (The color of the soup will lighten from the air blended into it, but it will return to dark green after it sits.) Check the consistency of the soup. If it is too thick and needs more liquid, add either more vegetable stock or more water, depending on how flavorful the soup is, and blend again. Add a pinch of salt, white pepper to taste, and blend again. Pour the soup through a chinois. If you are serving the soup cold, stir in the truffle oil and refrigerate the soup in a covered container until serving. If you are serving the soup hot, reheat gently over low heat and stir in the truffle oil just before serving.
Serve the soup garnished with the Parmesan crisp “lids.”
makes 6 to 12 servings (about 3 cups)
½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (from a moist piece of cheese)
These crisps can be made in any size, but it’s important to use freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. These are easy and have many uses—serve them with salads or soups, or use them to hold goat cheese mousse—but be sure to make extra, because you’ll want to eat a few while you’re making them.
Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with a Silpat (see Sources).
Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of the cheese in one corner of the Silpat.
Use your fingers to spread the cheese into a 2-inch circle. Repeat with the remaining cheese; you should have about 12 rounds.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Use a small spatula to transfer them to paper towels. They will still be soft when they are removed but will stiffen as they cool. Store the crisps in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
makes about twelve 2-inch crisps
