Spring Soup

By the RecipeCafe Archives

Ingredients

• 1 quart (960 ml) White Stock (I or II)
• 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
• 1 large onion, sliced thin
• 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
• 8 tablespoons (113 g) unsalted butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons (16 g) all-purpose flour
• 0.5 small stale baker's loaf (approximately 4 oz / 115 g bread, broken in pieces)
• 1 Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 Small pieces of toasted bread, for serving

Instructions

1. 1. Melt 1 tablespoon (14 g) of the butter in a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced onion and cook gently for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and translucent but not browned.
2. 2. Transfer the cooked onion and butter to a large pot with the White Stock. Add the bread broken in pieces. Bring to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, until the bread has completely softened and the onion is fully tender.
3. 3. Remove from heat and pass the soup through a fine-mesh sieve or food mill, pressing solids firmly to extract all liquid. Discard the solids. The result should be a smooth, pale liquid.
4. 4. Return the strained soup to the pot. Stir in the whole milk and bring to a gentle simmer over medium-low heat.
5. 5. Prepare a beurre manie (a raw thickener made by working equal parts soft butter and flour together into a paste): thoroughly combine the remaining 7 tablespoons (99 g) butter and the 2 tablespoons (16 g) flour, pressing with a fork until a uniform paste forms.
6. 6. Whisk the beurre manie into the simmering soup a small piece at a time, allowing each addition to dissolve before adding the next. Continue whisking until the soup is lightly thickened and no raw-flour taste remains, approximately 5-8 minutes of gentle simmering.
7. 7. Stir in the heavy cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Warm through over low heat for 2-3 minutes, until the soup is steaming and uniformly heated through; do not boil after the cream is added.
8. 8. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve with small pieces of toasted bread.