White-Wine Bisque

By corlear

Other dry white wines can be substituted for the Chablis. The author recommends serving the bisque with small finger sandwiches of rye bread and butter.

Louis P. de Gouy
The Soup Book

Ingredients

• 4 cups Chablis
• 2 lb Thompson seedless grapes, stems removed, 72 grapes peeled and reserved for the garnish
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Put the grapes in a saucepan, cover them with cold water and stir in 1/3 to ½ cup of sugar, depending on the sweetness of the grapes. Add the cinnamon stick and cloves and gradually bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.

Pour the contents of the saucepan through a fine-meshed sieve set over a clean pan and rub the grapes through the sieve. Keep the strained mixture warm by placing the pan in a bowl of hot water.

Cook the tapioca in 1 cup of water until it is clear and transparent—about 20 minutes; then beat in the egg yolks one at a time, beating briskly after each addition. Add the salt with the last yolk.

Combine the tapioca mixture and the grape mixture, beating them thoroughly with a rotary beater, or purée the two mixtures together in a blender.

Heat the wine to the boiling point—that is until beads appear on the surface—but do not let the wine boil. Stir the wine into the grape-and-tapioca mixture, beating well.

Serve the bisque in warmed soup plates, garnishing each serving with a dozen peeled grapes.