Velouté au Pourpier

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5 to 6-quart pot for parboiling
• •Wide 3 to 4-quart heavy saucepan
• •Blender with a vented lid
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Soup ladle

Instructions

1. 1

   Sort and parboil

   Pick over the purslane carefully, keeping only leaves and supple tips; thick stems belong in another pot. Wash it through several changes of cold water because purslane carries grit close to the ground. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the salt. Following Velouté Cressonière (No. 677), parboil the garnish leaves for exactly three minutes, lift them into ice water, then drain them well. Parboil the larger quantity for only one minute, just until the leaves relax, and cool it in the same way. Squeeze gently but thoroughly so water doesn't follow the greens into the butter.

   Keep the garnish separate from the beginning. Its three-minute parboil comes directly from the governing method, while the purslane destined for purée needs only slight parboiling before it is stewed.
2. 2

   Stew in butter

   Melt the ¼ cup butter in a wide saucepan over medium-low heat without letting it color. Add the larger quantity of drained purslane, cover for one minute, then uncover and stew gently for four to five minutes, stirring often. The leaves should soften, darken slightly, and shine with butter, never fry. If water collects in the pan, uncover and raise the heat briefly until it evaporates; if the butter begins to brown, add a spoonful of the measured velouté and lower the heat. Ça se rattrape.

3. 3

   Simmer with velouté

   Stir in the prepared ordinary velouté and bring it only to a bare simmer. Cook for seven to eight minutes, no longer, stirring along the bottom so the thick base cannot catch. The surface should tremble quietly rather than break into a boil. If it boils hard, lift the pan from the heat at once, stir, and return it over a lower flame; catch it quickly and the green remains lively.

4. 4

   Sieve to silk

   Let the mixture settle for two minutes, then blend it in batches until completely smooth. Never fill a blender more than halfway with hot soup, and keep the lid vented beneath a folded towel. Press the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean bowl, working it with the back of a ladle until only dry fibers remain. The tammy was brigade equipment; a blender and fine sieve are its honest home equivalent. The sieve itself is not scaffolding. It is what makes this a velouté rather than a rough green purée.

5. 5

   Add the consommé

   Return the sieved purée to a clean saucepan and whisk in the prepared ordinary white consommé. Heat it slowly until the surface barely trembles, skimming away any pale foam. Do not reduce it aggressively; the proportion of velouté to consommé gives the soup its balance of body and lightness. Taste before adding salt, since both finished foundations may already be seasoned.

6. 6

   Finish the liaison

   Reserve 2 tablespoons of the cold cream. Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining cream in a heatproof bowl, then slowly whisk in about 1 cup of the hot soup to temper them. Take the saucepan off the heat and whisk the tempered liaison back into it. Return the pan to the lowest heat and stir constantly until the soup lightly coats a spoon and reaches 165 to 170°F (74 to 77°C); it must not simmer. If tiny egg specks appear, remove the pan immediately, whisk in the reserved cold cream, blend briefly, and strain again. Ça se rattrape.

7. 7

   Mount and serve

   Off the heat, whisk in the cold butter a few pieces at a time until the surface gleams and the soup feels supple on the spoon. Warm the reserved garnish leaves in a ladleful of soup, then divide them among warmed bowls or place them in the soupière before pouring in the velouté. Serve at once. We don't apologize for butter. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Purslane must be crisp and plump, with bright leaves and no blackened edges. If the market offers only limp, fibrous purslane, make Velouté Cressonière (No. 677) with good watercress instead. A tired green cannot be sieved back into freshness.
• •Ordinary velouté and ordinary white consommé are finished foundations, not thin flour paste and boxed broth. Prepare them ahead and freeze them in measured portions; that is how a home kitchen replaces the stockpot and saucier that the original formula assumed.
• •Don't stop after blending. Purslane has fine fibers and a succulent, slightly mucilaginous texture; the sieve removes both excess fiber and any coarse threads, leaving the clean silk the dish promises.
• •Serve this as a first course with a dry, mineral white wine. Keep the pour modest and the bowls generous; the soup is delicate, but it isn't timid.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the ordinary velouté and ordinary white consommé up to three days ahead and keep them chilled, or freeze them in the measured quantities for up to two months.
• •The purslane can be picked, washed, and dried up to six hours ahead. Wrap it loosely in a damp towel and keep it cold so the leaves remain plump.
• •For a dinner party, complete the soup through the addition of the consommé up to two days ahead. Chill it promptly, then reheat it gently and add the liaison and final butter only just before serving. Once the liaison is in, never let the soup boil.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)