Purée de Carottes, otherwise Crécy

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5-quart heavy saucepan with lid
• •Countertop or immersion blender
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Flexible bowl scraper or sturdy ladle
• •Small skillet for the croutons

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the carrots

   Peel the carrots and split the largest lengthwise. The source calls for the red outer flesh only because large storage carrots can carry a pale, woody core; cut that core away when you find it, but keep the whole carrot when its color and texture are even. Weigh the prepared flesh, then slice it about 1/8 inch thick so every piece softens at the same pace.

   Thin, even slices matter more than a particular carrot variety. Thick pieces remain fibrous while the rice finishes cooking, and no amount of hopeful blending quite hides them.
2. 2

   Étuver the vegetables

   Étuver, meaning to stew gently in butter without browning: melt the stewing butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat, then add the carrots, onions, thyme, salt, and sugar. Cover with a lid slightly ajar and cook for 20 minutes, stirring every few minutes, until the onions are translucent and the carrots bend at their edges. Keep them pale. If the sugars catch, add a spoonful of the measured consommé and scrape gently; if the pot floor has gone dark, move the vegetables to a clean saucepan and leave the bitter marks behind. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Add rice and consommé

   Stir in the rice, then add the 7 1/4 cups of white consommé. Bring it just to a simmer, cover partially, and cook very gently for 35 to 45 minutes, stirring along the bottom occasionally, until both carrot and rice collapse under the back of a spoon. A hard boil drives off liquid and dulls the delicate foundation. If using the source's bread-thickened branch, omit the rice, fry the alternative bread dice in their butter until pale gold, and add them before the consommé. Use one thickener, never both.

4. 4

   Blend until smooth

   Remove the thyme. Blend the soup thoroughly, working in batches if using a jug blender. Fill the jug no more than halfway, loosen the center cap, and cover the opening with a folded towel so pressure can escape safely. Blend longer than seems necessary, until no separate rice grains or carrot fibers remain visible.

5. 5

   Pass through the sieve

   Set a fine-mesh sieve over a clean saucepan and work the purée through with a ladle or flexible scraper, pressing patiently and scraping the silken purée from the underside. Discard the small mat of fiber left behind. This pass replaces the brigade's tammy and it must stay. If the soup tastes smooth but feels faintly sandy, blend it again with a ladleful of hot reserved consommé and pass it once more. Ça se rattrape.

6. 6

   Dépouiller and finish

   Return the soup to the gentlest simmer and dépouiller, meaning skim away any pale foam or butter froth that gathers on the surface. Test the consistency: Crécy should coat a spoon in a smooth veil yet pour without falling in clumps. If it is thick, whisk in hot reserved consommé a little at a time; if thin, let it simmer uncovered until it gathers. Season with white pepper and additional salt, then remove the pan from the heat and monter au beurre, whisking in the cold diced butter piece by piece. Do not boil afterward. If the butter forms oily beads, whisk hard away from the heat or blend for a few seconds until the surface returns to a single gloss.

7. 7

   Keep Nivernaise separate

   For the source's separate velouté variation, reach for a finished batch of Velouté aux Carottes, otherwise Nivernaise (No. 674) and serve it in place of Crécy. Do not stir the two finished soups together; the referenced preparation keeps its own method and identity.

8. 8

   Fry and serve

   Melt the garnish butter in a skillet and fry the small bread dice over medium heat, tossing often, until crisp and evenly golden. Drain briefly and salt while warm. Ladle the Crécy generously, scatter the croutons over each serving at the last moment, and bring it straight to the table. For the occasional garnish in the source, use the separately cooked Japanese pearls instead of the croutons, two tablespoons per quart of soup. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Plain carrots are exactly right, provided they are firm and sweet. Remove a pale, woody center when you find one; tender carrots with an even orange core can be used whole after peeling. The prepared weight is what protects the source ratio.
• •White consommé gives the clearest carrot flavor and the brightest color. A carefully strained, low-sodium chicken stock is the honest home equivalent; dark roasted stock muddies both, and a salty carton becomes harsher as the soup is adjusted.
• •Rice produces the cleanest silk and is the chosen thickener here. The source also permits bread dice fried in butter, which give the soup a rounder, more bread-bodied finish. Do not use rice and bread together.
• •Japanese pearls are small tapioca pearls in the vocabulary of the classical garnish tray. Cook them separately until translucent, rinse them, and add them only when serving so they remain distinct.
• •No cream belongs in this version. The body comes from carrots and rice, while the final cold butter gives the surface its sheen. We don't apologize for butter.

Advance Preparation

• •The soup can be prepared through the sieving step up to two days ahead and kept covered in the cold. Reheat it gently, dépouiller the surface, adjust the consistency with hot consommé, and monter au beurre only before serving.
• •The croutons can be fried one day ahead and kept airtight at room temperature. Return them to a dry skillet briefly if they lose their crisp edges.
• •Freeze the sieved soup before adding the finishing butter. Thaw it slowly, blend once to restore the body, then season and finish with cold butter.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 260g)