Velouté d’Éperlans Princesse

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5-quart heavy saucepan
• •10-inch wide pan for poaching
• •Food processor with a 3-cup or larger bowl
• •Immersion blender or countertop blender
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Sturdy mortar or rolling pin
• •Two teaspoons for shaping quenelles

Instructions

1. 1

   Make crayfish butter

   Remove the crayfish tail meat and refrigerate it for another dish. Crush the shells and claws with a mortar or rolling pin, then combine them with 6 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan. Cook over very low heat for 10 minutes, stirring, until the butter turns coral and smells distinctly of shellfish without browning. Add the cold water and hold at a bare simmer for 5 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into a bowl set over ice, pressing the shells firmly. When the butter gathers on top and becomes just firm, lift it off and wipe away the water clinging underneath. Measure 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) for the forcemeat and keep it cool but pliable.

2. 2

   Green the asparagus

   Bring a small pan of well-salted water to a boil. Blanch the asparagus tips for 45 to 60 seconds, only until tender at the cut end and brilliantly green, then transfer them directly to ice water. Drain and dry them well. The source gives one tablespoon per quart, so this two-quart velouté receives exactly two tablespoons; more would turn a precise garnish into an asparagus soup.

3. 3

   Mix the forcemeat

   Chill the processor bowl and blade for 15 minutes. Put 5 1/4 ounces (150 g) of the smelt and 1/2 teaspoon salt in the cold bowl, then process until the fish becomes smooth and tacky. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the egg white for adjustment, then blend in the remainder, followed by the measured crayfish butter. With the machine pulsing, add 1/4 cup (60 ml / 60 g) of the cold cream gradually, reserving 1 tablespoon if the paste needs loosening later. Stop as soon as the forcemeat is pearly and holds a soft peak. Press it once through a fine sieve, cover directly against the surface, and chill for 20 minutes.

   Warm forcemeat turns greasy because its emulsion separates. Keep the fish, bowl, butter, and cream cold, and pause to chill the mixture if the processor warms it.
4. 4

   Poach twelve quenelles

   Warm 3 cups (710 ml / 710 g) of the fish stock in a wide pan until it barely trembles, about 175 to 180°F (79 to 82°C). Shape one test quenelle between two damp teaspoons and poach it gently. If it frays, first lower the heat, then chill the forcemeat for another 15 minutes; if it remains loose, blend in the reserved teaspoon of egg white. If the test is rubbery, fold in the reserved tablespoon of cream. Ça se rattrape. Shape exactly twelve small ovals and poach them in two batches for 6 to 8 minutes, turning once, until tender and cooked through to 145°F (63°C). Lift them into a shallow dish with a little poaching liquid, cover, and strain the remaining liquid back into the unused stock.

   The liquid must barely move. Boiling knocks the quenelles apart before their delicate protein structure has time to set.
5. 5

   Sweat the aromatics

   Melt 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) of the velouté butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat. Add the leek, shallots, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover and sweat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until completely tender and translucent but without a trace of browning. Color would muddy both the ivory appearance and the clean flavor of the finished soup.

6. 6

   Build the velouté

   Add the remaining 4 tablespoons (60 ml / 57 g) velouté butter, then stir in the flour. Cook this roux gently for 3 minutes, stirring constantly, so the flour loses its raw smell but stays pale. Gradually whisk in 7 cups (1.65 L / 1,650 g) of the warm fish stock, reserving the final cup for adjustment. Bring the velouté only to a bare simmer and cook for 20 minutes, skimming any film from the surface. The roux is not brigade scaffolding. It is the foundation that gives this soup its body, and it must cook fully.

7. 7

   Purée the smelt

   Add the remaining 15 3/4 ounces (450 g) smelt fillets to the velouté and hold at a bare simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, until the flesh is opaque and separates under the spoon. Purée until very smooth, then pass the soup through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan. Press gently rather than grinding the dry pulp through, which would make the texture chalky. Measure the strained base and reduce it gently, or add reserved stock, until you have 6 3/4 cups (1.6 L / about 1,600 g).

8. 8

   Set the liaison

   Reserve 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) of the remaining cold cream. Whisk the egg yolks with the other 7/8 cup (210 ml / 210 g) cream in a bowl, then whisk in two ladlefuls of hot velouté a little at a time. Return this liaison to the saucepan over the gentlest heat and stir constantly until the soup lightly naps the back of a spoon and reaches 165 to 170°F (74 to 77°C). Do not let it simmer. If the first fine grains appear, remove the pan at once, whisk in the reserved cold cream, blend briefly, and strain. Ça se rattrape at that first warning; a liaison allowed to boil and scramble fully cannot be made silken again. Season with the white pepper and enough remaining salt to bring the smelt forward.

9. 9

   Warm the garnish

   Slip all twelve quenelles into the finished velouté and warm them over very low heat for 2 to 3 minutes without simmering. Add the asparagus tips for the final 30 seconds so they remain very green. Transfer the soup to a warm soupière or divide it among warm bowls, making certain every serving receives quenelle and asparagus. Bring it directly to the table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Smelt is a seasonal little fish, but it freezes beautifully. Properly frozen smelt is the classical pantry's honest answer when the fresh catch is tired; thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and dry it well before filleting.
• •Use a pale, unsalted stock made from lean white-fish bones. Salmon stock, smoked stock, or an aggressive shellfish stock will overwhelm the small, sweet flavor of the smelt.
• •Choose unseasoned shell-on crayfish. If a good fishmonger sells true crayfish butter made by crushing shells into butter, use 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) in the forcemeat and omit the extraction step. Paprika-colored butter is not its equivalent.
• •A thermometer is useful at the liaison, but the spoon tells the same truth: draw a finger through the coating on its back, and the line should remain clean. Keep the soup below a simmer once the yolks enter.
• •Serve with a dry, mineral white such as Muscadet or Chablis. The wine should clear the palate between spoonfuls, not compete with the crayfish butter.

Advance Preparation

• •The crayfish butter can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to 1 month. Wrap it closely so it does not collect other flavors.
• •The quenelles may be poached earlier the same day and refrigerated in a little strained poaching liquid. Warm them gently in the finished velouté just before serving.
• •The velouté can be completed through straining up to 1 day ahead. Cool it quickly and refrigerate, then reheat it to a bare simmer before adding the liaison. Once the yolks and cream enter, it must not boil.
• •Blanch the asparagus tips earlier the same day, dry them thoroughly, and refrigerate them covered. Add them only at the finish so their color stays vivid.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 245g)