I’d been wanting to make this French classic for some time. On investigating the recipes, though, the true classic seemed very rich, containing not only cream but also being thickened with potato and egg yolks. That would be perhaps a little too heavy-duty for modern styles so here is what I think is a lighter but very successful alternative.
Planning
| serves: | 4 |
| preparation time: | 10 mins |
| cooking time: | 40 mins |
Ingredients
- 30g butter
- 1 medium leek, finely chopped
- 300g watercress
- 800ml light chicken stock
- 150ml single cream
- salt & pepper
Method
Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat then sweat the leek and watercress together for about five minutes. Keep stirring occasionally so that all the watercress wilts and collapses. Pour in the chicken stock and increase the heat to bring it to simmering point. Cook everything together gently for about 25 minutes.
Blitz the soup in a liquidizer. Now return it to the pan over low heat and stir in the cream. Adjust the seasoning to taste being careful of the pepper ‘cos watercress is quite peppery anyway.
(You can make this ahead of time and reheat it without fear of boiling, unlike the original which would curdle thanks to the egg yolks.)
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