Perfect for the springtime, the vivid green of this soup sings of the bounty of the spring harvest and was inspired by a little food blogger outing i participated in this week-end. There were no asparagus involved but it’s the myriad of other seasonal delicacies we went out to forage ourselves that made me realize spring is finally here. You can read all about Forage & Feast here.

The beauty of this dish is in its luxurious simplicity. The asparagus soup is simply pureéd till it’s silky smooth, the rest is just delicious frou-frou. A soft poached egg in the middle, some chopped black truffle, a few drops of truffle oil, buttered croutons, fleur de sel and fresh tarragon leaves are enough to turn this into a first course that’s sure to make your guests very happy. If they don’t react to this? … Change dining companions.

Do you want to know what’s the best part about this soup?

The joy of digging into the soft poached egg with a spoon to let the glorious yolk escape and melt into the soup. No, don’t rub your eyes. This is really happening. Take a deep breath now. It’s gonna be okay..

Happy Spring to all of you in the North Hemisphere! (er.. sorry if you happen to live in the south.)

• Asparagus Soup with Soft Poached Egg & Black Truffle

• serves 4

• • Asparagus soup recipe:

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 medium onion, finely sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • salt to taste
  • 1 pound asparagus (separate the stems and slice the rest)
  • 3 fingerling potatoes, peeled and sliced
  • 2 sprigs tarragon
  • 1 quarts chicken stock
  • 1-2 tablespoons creme fraiche

  • Garnishes:

  • Croutons
  • Black truffle (optional)
  • Truffle oil
  • Tarragon leaves
  • 4 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons white vinegar

  • For the asparagus soup:

  • Heat the oil and butter in a medium pot over medium heat, add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook gently for five minutes until the onion has softened. Add the garlic and tarragon, stir together for a minute, then add the potatoes, asparagus stems and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the asparagus stems and add the chopped asparagus and simmer until soft, about 5 minutes.
  • Add the creme fraiche and blend the soup until silky smooth, strain and cool rapidly over an ice bath.

  To serve:

  • Boil water in a wide stockpot and add the vinegar. When it comes to a simmer, break the eggs one by one and poach them for 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Meanwhile heat the asparagus soup.
  • Pour the soup in four soup bowls, top each one with a poached egg. Add croutons, chopped truffle (if using), a drizzle of truffle oil, and tarragon leaves. Serve immediately.

  

This is officially my favorite soup, i don’t know how to describe it except that it’s the bomb! If you’re familiar with Thai food/flavors you know exactly what i’m talking about. Fresh and bright flavors that pops with the depth of red curry paste and the richness from the coconut milk. The sticky rice brings it full circle… ya know what i mean?

The moral of the story? In desperate situations consult the refrigerator Gods and your inner chef before hanging yourself. If they don’t answer.. well, go ahead!

For the soup:

• 1 quart FRESH chicken stock (otherwise don’t bother)
• 1 tablespoon peanut oil
• 1/2 inch chunk of galangal or ginger, peeled
• 1 lemongrass stalk, chopped
• 2 kaffir lime leaves (or strips of lime zest)
• 2 or 3 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbs red curry paste
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• Salt to taste
• a few drops fish sauce (optional)

For the garnish:

• 1 cup sticky rice, cooked
• 8 jumbo shrimps
• julienne of snow peas, carrots, peppers
• cilantro, cleaned
• lime, juice & zest
• black sesame seeds or peanuts (optional)

• Heat the peanut oil in a medium saucepan, add the ginger (or galangal), lemongrass, red curry paste and stir fry for a minute, until fragrant. Add the chicken stock, the coconut milk, the cream and the lime leaves and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes until the broth is slightly reduced with a nice creamy consistency. Strain the liquid and discard the ginger, lemongrass and lime leaves. Return the soup to the pan and add the shiitake mushroom and simmer 3 more minutes. Adjust seasoning. Add a few splashes of fish sauce if using. Add more curry, lime juice if necessary. Listen to your inner chef.
• While the soup is simmering, grill the shrimps on a skewers. Season with sea salt. Sautee quickly the julienne of vegetables (10 seconds).
• Place some sticky rice at the bottom of the bowls, pour the soup around it. Place the julienne and the grilled shrimps on top. Sprinkle with cilantro, lime zest and sesame seeds or peanuts. Serve hot and enjoy!

Anyway, Wall Street crisis or not i’m busy as hell hence the lack of posting this past few days. I wanted to make a nice Bouillabaisse for a while and i finally found the time today. Let’s not call it a traditional Bouillabaisse because purists would squeak at the sight of mussels and lobster. To be fair, you can ask any Provençal cooks how to make bouillabaisse and you’ll get a different and passionate response each time. Me don’t care as long as it’s damn good. That’s all that counts, right?

Oh, and i almost forgot to tell you. I won something!! I left a comment on a gelato contest held by Elle.. and i won a bunch of Ciao Bella gelato!! Thank you dear! No.. i’m not sharing!

Rouille:

• 1/2 cup olive oil

6 garlic cloves

Garnish:

• 8-10 cooked potatoes
• 1 baguette
• 10 Tablespoons Gruyère cheese, grated

To prepare the bouillon, in a large, hot stockpot roast the bones of the rock fish, rouget, striped bass, grouper, crab and the lobster heads in the olive oil. Once the bones are caramelized, add the onion, celery, carrot, fennel and garlic; sweat for 3 minutes.

Add the tomatoes and cook until soft. Stir in the tomato paste and coat all of the vegetables and bones. Add the pastis, and cook until dry. Add the white wine and reduce by half. Add the peppercorns, chile pepper, bay leaf, thyme, star anise, orange zest, saffron, and parsley stems; add enough water to just cover everything. Cook until the liquid has reduced by a third. Stir frequently so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.

In another large pot run all of the contents of the bouillabaisse through a medium holed food mill (you can also use a stick blender to puree the mixture and pass it through a chinois). Season with salt and pepper.


Bring the bouillon to a simmer and add each filet of fish individually based on its thickness (thickest filets first). Cut the lobster tail through the shell into large pieces. Add the lobster, squid and mussels to the bouillon. Cook until the mussels open. Serve as is in the pot.


To prepare the Rouille, in a food processor, combine all the ingredients. Season with salt pepper. Serve on the side with the Gruyère cheese, cooked potatoes and toasted baguette.