Chef Juliette
Purée de Carottes, otherwise Crécy
Purée de Carottes, otherwise Crécy, turns carrots, butter, rice, and white consommé into a silken soup. The lesson is simple and absolute: blend for smoothness, then sieve for finesse.
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Crème d’Asperges, otherwise Argenteuil
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 697, Crème d’Asperges, otherwise Argenteuil, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Argenteuil’s white asparagus becomes a pale, silken crème, softened in Béchamel, passed fine, loosened with white consommé, and finished with cream, tender tips, and chervil.
Soups & Stews
French
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
25 min
Active Time
30 min cook•55 min total
YieldAbout 2 quarts (8 first-course servings)
Crème d’Asperges, dite Argenteuil (cream of asparagus soup), teaches the discipline of a crème: cook the vegetable tender in its sauce foundation, sieve it, then loosen it only as far as elegance requires. The one true thing to know before touching a pan is this: asparagus fibers do not blend themselves into silk. They must be passed through a fine sieve.
The original entry assumed a saucier with Béchamel ready, a stockpot holding white consommé, and another pair of hands to rub the asparagus through a tammy. At home, those sauces remain finished components because the recipe treats them that way, but an immersion blender removes the brigade labor and a fine-mesh sieve replaces the tammy. Hand-rubbing every stalk through cloth was scaffolding for many hands. Removing every coarse fiber is the dish and stays. The open-ended quantity of consommé becomes a measured range and a clear yield, about two quarts for eight first courses. One cook, one stove, one evening.
Finished properly, Argenteuil is warm ivory, gently glossy from its Béchamel and final cream, with white asparagus heads and green chervil pluches marking what lies beneath. Pass the soup while it is warm and press patiently. That sieve, not extra cream, gives the crème its satin body.
Argenteuil, in Île-de-France on the Seine northwest of Paris, became celebrated for white asparagus grown beneath banked soil, which kept the thick spears pale and mild. In classical French nomenclature, Argenteuil came to identify dishes centered on asparagus, particularly soups, purées, and garnishes that preserved its delicate character. This crème carries the market-garden name into the grand kitchen while keeping the vegetable visible through its garnish of white heads.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
thick white asparagus
Quantity
1½ pounds (about 4½ cups cut pieces / 680 g)
woody ends snapped off; 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g) of the white heads reserved
prepared Béchamel
Quantity
3 cups (1¼ imperial pints / 710 ml / about 730 g)
prepared white consommé
Quantity
2½ to 3 cups (600 to 710 ml / 600 to 710 g)
warmed and used as needed
heavy cream
Quantity
½ cup (120 ml / 120 g)
chervil pluches
Quantity
1 small pinch (about 1 tablespoon loosely packed / 15 ml / 1 g)
tender leaf shreds
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| thick white asparaguswoody ends snapped off; 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g) of the white heads reserved | 1½ pounds (about 4½ cups cut pieces / 680 g) |
| prepared Béchamel | 3 cups (1¼ imperial pints / 710 ml / about 730 g) |
| prepared white consomméwarmed and used as needed | 2½ to 3 cups (600 to 710 ml / 600 to 710 g) |
| heavy cream | ½ cup (120 ml / 120 g) |
| chervil pluchestender leaf shreds | 1 small pinch (about 1 tablespoon loosely packed / 15 ml / 1 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •4-quart heavy saucepan
- •Immersion or countertop blender
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Flexible spatula
- •Ladle
Instructions
- 1
Parboil the asparagus
Snap each spear where its hard lower stalk gives way, then cut off enough white heads to measure 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 25 g). Bring a wide saucepan of water to a lively boil. Add the stalks and reserved heads and parboil them for five to six minutes, until they bend slightly but still resist the point of a knife. Drain thoroughly and set the heads aside for the garnish.
Let each spear choose its own breaking point. Cutting every stalk to one handsome length leaves tough fibers in the pot, and handsome toughness is still toughness. - 2
Finish in Béchamel
Put the drained asparagus stalks into the prepared Béchamel and set the pan over gentle heat. Cook for twelve to fifteen minutes, stirring often across the bottom, until the asparagus crushes readily against the side of the pan. Keep the movement lazy and the heat low. Béchamel catches when neglected, and browned milk has no place in this pale soup.
- 3
Purée and sieve
Purée the warm asparagus and Béchamel until no visible pieces remain. Work the purée through a fine-mesh sieve with a flexible spatula, pressing firmly and scraping the underside into a clean saucepan. Discard the dry fibers left behind. If the first pass leaves threads in the soup, do not add more cream to hide them. Pass it through a clean sieve once more. Ça se rattrape.
The blender saves labor, but it does not replace the sieve. Blades shorten asparagus fibers; they do not remove them. - 4
Loosen with consommé
Whisk 2½ cups (600 ml / 600 g) of the warm white consommé into the sieved base a little at a time. Add as much of the remaining consommé as needed to produce about two quarts of soup with a light coating consistency. Heat gently until the surface glistens and the edges begin to quiver, but do not allow it to boil. The source’s order protects the finish: the cream has not yet entered the pan.
- 5
Finish and garnish
Take the saucepan off the heat and whisk in the heavy cream. Warm the reserved asparagus heads in a ladleful of the soup for a few seconds, then divide them among warmed soup plates. Ladle in the Argenteuil and scatter the chervil pluches over the surface. Serve at once, while the cream remains smooth and the chervil tastes fresh. À table!
Chef Tips
- •This dish genuinely wants thick white asparagus. If the market offers only tired spears, change the plan: a crème of green asparagus is its honest cousin, but its color and sharper flavor make it a different soup, not Argenteuil.
- •The listed time begins with prepared Béchamel and white consommé at hand, exactly as the source entry assumes. Make the Béchamel with real butter and whole milk, and use a properly clarified, well-seasoned white consommé. The finished soup inherits both their quality and their seasoning.
- •Do not replace the fine sieve with enthusiasm at the blender. The smoothness comes from removing fiber, and that is the step the old tammy performed.
- •Serve Argenteuil as a first course with a dry Loire Sauvignon Blanc. Its freshness meets the asparagus and chervil without burying the cream.
Advance Preparation
- •Prepare the Béchamel and white consommé up to two days ahead, cool them promptly, and refrigerate them separately. Warm both gently before beginning the soup.
- •The Argenteuil can be completed through the sieving step one day ahead. Cool and refrigerate it, then loosen with consommé and finish with cream only when reheating for service.
- •The asparagus heads may be parboiled several hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Warm them briefly in the soup before garnishing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 240g)
Calories
175 calories
Total Fat
12 g
Saturated Fat
7 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
4 g
Cholesterol
40 mg
Sodium
650 mg
Total Carbohydrates
11 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
6 g
Protein
5 g
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