ASPARAGUS VELOUTE--ROBUCHON

By BobD

Ingredients

• 4 SERVINGS
• 2 pounds (1 kg.) white asparagus
• 1 quart (1 L.) chicken stock (or store-bought), or chicken broth (or store-bought or made from a bouillon cube)
• A bit of sugar (1 cube if you have cubes)
• 5 cup (30 g.) cornstarch
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup (25 cl.) heavy cream
• Salt

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from epicurious.com

Preparation

Step 1

Wash the asparagus.

Cut 2 inches (5 cm.) off the tips and save them for another use. Do not peel the stalks but cut them into 1.5-inch (3-cm.) pieces.

Bring the stock or broth to a boil in a soup pot.

When it bubbles, add the asparagus pieces and sugar. Turn down the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Blend and pass through a fine strainer (a chinois if possible), pressing on the solids with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible.

Put the soup back in the pot, bring back to a boil, and boil about 30 minutes more.

Thoroughly mix the cornstarch in a bowl with 1 tablespoon cold water.

Beat the yolk and cream together in a bowl large enough to hold all the soup.

When the soup in the pot has been reduced by about half, whisk in the cornstarch mixture.

Boil for 1 minute, whisking constantly, and then gently pour everything into the bowl with the egg-cream mixture, whisking as you pour.

Pour the contents of the bowl back into the soup pot and heat very gently in order to thicken.

Stir with a spatula and turn off the heat at the first sign of boiling. Blend.

Season with salt as necessary.