Potage Jubilee, otherwise Balvet

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •5-quart heavy saucepan
• •Balloon whisk
• •Heatproof spatula
• •3-quart soupière or 8 warmed soup bowls
• •Ladle

Instructions

1. 1

   Ready the components

   Have the finished Purée de Pois Frais, Otherwise Saint-Germain (No. 648) and the consommé of La Petite Marmite measured before you begin. Drain the Marmite vegetables well and keep them covered nearby. Cut the butter into small cubes and return it to the refrigerator; it must remain cold until the final minute. Warm a soupière or the individual bowls with hot water, then dry them.

   This assembly moves quickly once the pan is hot. Measure first, cook second. The three-to-one proportion is the structure of the soup.
2. 2

   Join the potages

   Spoon the Purée de Pois Frais, Otherwise Saint-Germain (No. 648) into a heavy saucepan. Whisk in the consommé of La Petite Marmite in three additions, making each addition smooth before adding the next. Set the pan over medium heat and stir across the bottom until the soup reaches one clean boil. Do not leave it there; prolonged boiling dulls the pea color and fresh flavor. If the purée catches on the bottom, stop stirring and pour the unburnt soup into a clean pan without scraping up the scorched layer.

3. 3

   Monter au beurre

   Monter au beurre means finishing by whisking in cold butter away from direct heat. Remove the saucepan as soon as the boil appears, then whisk in the butter three or four cubes at a time, waiting until each addition disappears before adding more. The soup should become supple and lightly glossy, never greasy. Do not boil it again. If oily beads gather on the surface, place 1 tablespoon of cold water in a clean bowl, slowly whisk in 1 cup of the troubled soup, then whisk that restored base back into the pan off the heat. Ça se rattrape.

   Cold butter and patient whisking make the emulsion. Margarine and butter substitutes do not behave the same way. We don't apologize for butter.
4. 4

   Garnish and serve

   Put the vegetables from La Petite Marmite, prepared as for Croûte au Pot, into the warmed soupière. If they are refrigerator-cold, first cover them with one ladleful of soup for a minute. Pour in the remaining Potage Jubilé, stir once so the garnish distributes evenly, and serve at once while the surface still carries its butter sheen. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Purée de Pois Frais, Otherwise Saint-Germain (No. 648) must taste vividly of peas before it enters this recipe. In season, use young freshly shelled peas. When fresh peas are large, floury, or tired, small frozen peas picked at their peak are the honest home answer.
• •The consommé of La Petite Marmite supplies the soup's meaty backbone, so it must be clear, rounded, and properly seasoned. A harshly reduced commercial stock overwhelms the peas, while a weak broth merely waters them.
• •Use good unsalted butter and keep it cold until the finish. The temperature difference helps the fat disperse through the soup instead of floating on top.
• •Serve Potage Jubilé as a first course in small, warmed bowls. Its richness comes from concentration rather than cream, so a modest ladleful is ample before a dinner-party main course.

Advance Preparation

• •Prepare the Purée de Pois Frais, Otherwise Saint-Germain (No. 648) up to 1 day ahead. Press reusable wrap directly against its surface and refrigerate it promptly; its color and fresh-pea fragrance are finest the day it is made.
• •The consommé and vegetables from La Petite Marmite may be prepared up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated separately. Drain and cut the vegetables as for Croûte au Pot before service.
• •The soup can be joined and brought to its first boil up to 30 minutes before serving, then held covered over the gentlest heat. Monter au beurre only at the last moment, and never boil the finished soup.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)