Purée de Lentilles, otherwise Conti

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5-quart heavy saucepan with lid
• •Countertop blender or immersion blender
• •Sturdy fine-mesh sieve
• •Ladle or flexible spatula for pressing
• •10-inch skillet for the bread dice

Instructions

1. 1

   Soak the lentils

   Rinse and pick over the lentils, then cover them generously with the lukewarm water and leave them for 2 hours. This soaking belongs to the source method and helps the lentils soften evenly enough to pass through the sieve without leaving a sandy purée. Drain them thoroughly and discard the soaking water.

2. 2

   Ready the bacon

   Use the very lean bacon already prepared according to Blanchings (No. 273), cooled, and cut into small dice. Keep the pieces modest and even so they cook through with the lentils and disappear into the finished purée rather than leaving chewy fragments.

3. 3

   Simmer at a tremble

   Put the drained lentils and diced bacon in a heavy saucepan and add the white consommé. Bring it slowly to the boil, skim away the foam that gathers at the surface, then add the carrots, onion, and bouquet garni. Lower the heat, partially cover, and cook at the gentlest tremble for 50 to 70 minutes, until a lentil crushes between your fingers without a hard or chalky centre. A rolling boil breaks the lentils unevenly and muddies the cooking liquor; if the surface begins to heave, lower the heat at once.

   The consommé should barely move around the lentils. Gentle cooking softens the skins without driving away the liquid needed to correct the final consistency.
4. 4

   Remove every aromatic

   Lift out the carrots, both onion halves, and the bouquet garni before you do anything else. Count them out if necessary. This is the one discipline that decides Conti: the aromatics have flavoured the lentils, but their fibres must not enter the purée. Set a fine sieve over a bowl, drain the lentils and bacon, and reserve every drop of cooking liquor. If a piece of carrot breaks apart, fish out the fragments now; if one escapes into the blender, ça se rattrape, but the purée will need a second passage through the sieve.

5. 5

   Blend and sieve

   Blend the drained lentils and bacon with about 3/4 cup (180 ml) of the reserved cooking liquor, working in small batches and adding only enough liquid to keep the blades moving. If using a countertop blender, never fill it more than halfway and vent the lid beneath a folded towel. Press the blended mixture firmly through the fine-mesh sieve with a ladle or flexible spatula, scraping the smooth purée from underneath. If it feels coarse, blend it again with another spoonful of liquor and sieve once more. Don't flood it merely to hurry the work; texture comes from patient sieving, not excess liquid.

6. 6

   Finish au beurre

   Return the sieved purée to a clean saucepan and stir in the reserved cooking liquor gradually until the soup pours in a broad ribbon and lightly coats a spoon without standing like mash. Warm it to a bare simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, then taste and correct with fine salt and white pepper. Remove the pan from the heat and monter au beurre (finish with butter), whisking in the cold cubes a few at a time until the surface is satin-glossed. Do not boil it after the butter goes in. If an oily film appears, take the pan off the heat and whisk in a tablespoon of warm reserved liquor; if necessary, give it a brief pulse with an immersion blender. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Fry and garnish

   Melt the tablespoon of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the bread dice and toss until every face is crisp and evenly golden, then drain them briefly on a towel. Ladle the Conti into a warmed soupière or deep bowls, scatter over the butter-fried bread dice and chervil pluches, and serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Choose ordinary small brown or green lentils, not split red lentils. Red lentils collapse before the bacon has given its full flavour, while intact lentils withstand the gentle simmer and make a purée with more character.
• •The white consommé is the foundation, so use one that tastes clear, savoury, and properly seasoned before it reaches the pot. A concentrated or salty packaged broth will become harsher as the lentils absorb it; choose a low-sodium preparation when possible.
• •Keep the fine-mesh sieve. The blender replaces hand-pounding, which was labour for a brigade, but it cannot remove every skin and bacon fibre. The sieve is what turns cooked lentils into Conti.
• •Finish with real butter only when serving. It gives gloss, softens the bacon's salt, and rounds the consommé without adding cream. We don't apologize for butter.
• •For supper, serve generous bowls with toasted bread and a lightly dressed bitter-leaf salad. A young, lightly chilled Beaujolais has enough fruit for the lentils and enough freshness for the bacon.

Advance Preparation

• •The lentils can begin their 2-hour soak earlier in the day. Drain them only when the consommé, bacon, and aromatic garnish are ready for the pot.
• •The soup can be cooked, blended, and sieved up to 3 days ahead. Cool it promptly in a shallow container, cover, and refrigerate without the finishing butter. Reheat gently, correct the consistency, and monter au beurre just before serving.
• •The bread dice can be fried 1 day ahead and kept airtight once completely cool. Pick the chervil pluches shortly before serving so they remain fresh and green.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 245g)