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’Épinards, otherwise Florentine
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 703, Crème d’Épinards, otherwise Florentine, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Crème d’Épinards teaches how leaves, Béchamel, and cream become silk: blanch fast, press dry, sieve patiently, then keep a green julienne alive in real butter.
Soups & Stews
French
Comfort Food
Dinner Party
25 min
Active Time
30 min cook•55 min total
YieldAbout 2 quarts (1.9 L; 6 to 8 servings)
Crème d’Épinards, dite Florentine (Florentine spinach cream soup), teaches one quiet discipline: spinach must lose its own water before Béchamel can carry its flavor. Parboil the leaves fast, cool them, then press until your hands are tired. Leave that water behind and the soup tastes of spinach and cream; carry it into the pan and everything goes thin and dull.
The original formula assumed a saucier with somewhat thin Béchamel already warm, another pair of hands to rub the cooked leaves through a tammy, and brigade quantities ready for service. The surrounding kitchen might have kept a stockpot never off the fire and a salamander overhead, but this entry calls for neither. At home, an immersion blender replaces the arm work and a fine-mesh sieve replaces the tammy; that is scaffolding removed. The quick parboil, the Béchamel foundation, the final sieve, and the buttery spinach julienne remain because they are the dish. The original proportion is held in one two-quart pot. One cook, one stove, one evening.
Finished properly, the Crème d’Épinards pours in a smooth green ribbon, softened but not bleached by cream, with darker julienne on top and butter catching the light. The one step that decides it comes before the sauce: blanch quickly, then press the spinach completely dry.
On the Parisian classical table, Crème d’Épinards belonged to the family of vegetable cream soups built on a sauce foundation, passed through a tammy, and softened with fresh cream. From the grand sauce kitchen it moved readily into bourgeois dining rooms, while à la florentine became the canon’s shorthand for spinach, especially alongside eggs and fish. The familiar tale that a Florentine royal bride single-handedly brought spinach cookery to France is tidier than the record; Florentine names the leaf and treatment, not a proven birthplace for every dish carrying the term.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
fresh spinach leaves
Quantity
About 22 loosely packed cups (5.2 L / 680 g)
well washed, thick stems removed, and roughly shredded
fresh spinach leaves for the julienne
Quantity
About 4 loosely packed cups (950 ml / 115 g)
washed, dried, and kept whole
sorrel leaves (optional)
Quantity
About 2 loosely packed cups (475 ml / 55 g)
thick stems removed
somewhat thin Béchamel
Quantity
4½ cups (1.07 L / about 1.1 kg)
prepared and kept warm
fresh heavy cream
Quantity
1 to 1½ cups (240 to 360 ml / 240 to 360 g)
unsalted butter
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g)
fine salt
Quantity
2 tablespoons (30 ml / 36 g), plus more as needed
for the blanching water and final seasoning
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| fresh spinach leaveswell washed, thick stems removed, and roughly shredded | About 22 loosely packed cups (5.2 L / 680 g) |
| fresh spinach leaves for the juliennewashed, dried, and kept whole | About 4 loosely packed cups (950 ml / 115 g) |
| sorrel leaves (optional)thick stems removed | About 2 loosely packed cups (475 ml / 55 g) |
| somewhat thin Béchamelprepared and kept warm | 4½ cups (1.07 L / about 1.1 kg) |
| fresh heavy cream | 1 to 1½ cups (240 to 360 ml / 240 to 360 g) |
| unsalted butter | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 28 g) |
| fine saltfor the blanching water and final seasoning | 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 36 g), plus more as needed |
Equipment Needed
- •6-quart pot for parboiling
- •Large bowl for cold water
- •Clean kitchen towel
- •3 to 4-quart heavy saucepan
- •Immersion blender
- •Fine-mesh sieve
- •Firm ladle
Instructions
- 1
Separate the spinach
Bring a large pot of water to a full boil, salt it, and prepare a large bowl of very cold water. Keep the garnish leaves whole for now. Roughly shred the remaining spinach so it cooks evenly, adding the optional sorrel to this main batch. Sorrel gives a quiet, fresh acidity, but the Crème d’Épinards remains complete without it.
- 2
Parboil and press
Quickly parboil the shredded spinach in three batches, giving each only 45 to 60 seconds and adding the sorrel during the final 15 seconds. Move each batch immediately into the cold water, then drain it thoroughly. Gather the leaves in a clean towel and twist firmly, then press them in handfuls until no water runs out. This pressing is the dish’s decisive step: wet spinach weakens the Béchamel and leaves the flavor muddy.
Keep the water at a true boil between batches. A crowded pot cools down, and spinach left waiting in lukewarm water loses both its freshness and its green. - 3
Complete the cooking
Chop the pressed spinach once more, then stir it into the warm, somewhat thin Béchamel. Bring the mixture only to a bare simmer and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom. The leaves must finish cooking into the sauce, but a hard boil dulls their color and catches the milk solids against the pan.
- 4
Blend and sieve
Take the pan off the heat and blend with an immersion blender until no distinct pieces remain. Press the purée through a fine-mesh sieve with the back of a ladle, working patiently and scraping the smooth soup from the underside. The blender replaces the brigade’s arm work; the sieve does not disappear, because it removes the last fibers and gives the Crème d’Épinards its proper silk. If the first pass still feels stringy, pass it once more instead of cooking it longer.
Use a firm ladle rather than a whisk to work the purée through the sieve. Pressure against the mesh removes fibers; whisking merely moves them around. - 5
Butter the julienne
Stack the reserved leaves and cut them julienne-fashion into narrow, matchstick-fine strips. Parboil the julienne for 15 seconds, cool it immediately, drain, and press it dry. Melt the butter over gentle heat, add the julienne, and stew it for 2 to 3 minutes, tossing until tender and glossy without browning. If water collects in the pan, raise the heat briefly and toss until it disappears; the garnish must carry butter into the bowl, not blanching water.
- 6
Finish with cream
Return the sieved soup to gentle heat and whisk in 1 cup of the cream. Add the remainder gradually, using only enough to make about 2 quarts and give the soup a supple consistency that coats a spoon in a soft film but still pours freely. Never boil it after the cream goes in. If it tightens while waiting, take it off the heat and whisk in warm cream one spoonful at a time. Ça se rattrape. Taste for salt, ladle into warm bowls, and divide the buttered spinach julienne across the surface. À table!
Chef Tips
- •Choose fresh spinach with crisp leaves and no slippery patches. Mature flat-leaf spinach gives the purée more character and cuts into a neater julienne than tiny baby leaves.
- •The Béchamel should flow in a broad ribbon and only lightly coat a spoon before the spinach enters. A stiff Béchamel produces paste after sieving; if yours has tightened while standing, loosen it with a little warm milk before measuring it.
- •Sorrel is optional exactly as the source allows. Use young leaves when they are sound; tired sorrel brings bitterness, and the spinach is better left alone.
- •Do not skip the final sieve. Blending is the home cook’s honest replacement for prolonged pounding, but the tammy’s purpose was refinement, and a fine-mesh sieve preserves that intent.
- •Serve the soup as soon as it is creamed. It reheats, but repeated heat softens its green and thickens the roux, so keep the burner low and have a little cream ready for adjustment.
Advance Preparation
- •The somewhat thin Béchamel can be prepared up to two days ahead. Press a piece of buttered parchment directly against its surface, chill it promptly, and warm it gently before measuring.
- •The main spinach can be parboiled, cooled, and pressed up to six hours ahead. Keep it covered in the cold, then chop and complete its cooking in the Béchamel shortly before serving.
- •The soup can be taken through the sieve one day ahead, but its color is best on the evening it is made. Chill it promptly, reheat over low heat, and add the fresh cream and buttered julienne only at the finish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 250g)
Calories
330 calories
Total Fat
27 g
Saturated Fat
16 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
10 g
Cholesterol
80 mg
Sodium
600 mg
Total Carbohydrates
16 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
8 g
Protein
9 g
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