Imperial Soup

By the RecipeCafe Archives

Ingredients

• 4 cups (960 ml) White Stock III (see notes)
• 2 cups (100 g) stale bread crumbs
• 2 stalks celery, broken in pieces
• 2 slices carrot, cut in cubes
• 1 small onion
• 3 tablespoons (45 g) unsalted butter, divided
• 1 sprig fresh parsley
• 2 whole cloves
• 0.25 teaspoon whole peppercorns
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 blade of mace
• 1 teaspoon (6 g) salt
• 0.5 breast boiled chicken (approximately 6 oz / 170 g cooked meat)
• 0.25 cup (35 g) blanched almonds
• 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
• 0.5 cup (120 ml) whole milk
• 2 tablespoons (16 g) all-purpose flour

Instructions

1. 1. Make the bouquet garni: lay the parsley sprig, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaf, and blade of mace on a square of cheesecloth and tie securely into a bundle with kitchen twine.
2. 2. In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon (15 g) of the butter. Add the celery, carrot, and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, until the vegetables are softened and lightly gilded at the edges.
3. 3. Add the bouquet garni, White Stock III, salt, and bread crumbs to the saucepan. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 1 hour (55-65 min), until the bread crumbs have fully dissolved into the liquid and the broth is fragrant and slightly thickened. Stir occasionally to prevent the crumbs from settling and scorching.
4. 4. Remove and discard the bouquet garni. Working in batches if needed, press the soup through a fine-mesh sieve or food mill into a clean saucepan, rubbing firmly with the back of a spoon to extract all liquid. Discard any solids that will not pass. The result should be a smooth, pale cream-coloured puree.
5. 5. Prepare the almond-chicken liaison: finely chop the boiled chicken meat, then press it through the sieve into a bowl. In a mortar and pestle, pound the blanched almonds to a smooth paste (this technique is called grinding to a paste; work in a few drops of cream if the almonds seize). Combine the almond paste with the sieved chicken, then stir in the 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream until uniform.
6. 6. Combine the soup base and the chicken-almond mixture in the saucepan. Stir in the 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk. Place over low-medium heat and reheat gently, stirring, until steaming throughout, 8-12 min. Do not boil.
7. 7. Make the beurre manié (a raw butter-flour paste used to thicken sauces without lumps): work the remaining 2 tablespoons (30 g) butter and the 2 tablespoons (16 g) flour together with a fork until a smooth, homogeneous paste forms. Drop the paste into the hot soup in small pieces, whisking constantly after each addition.
8. 8. Continue to stir over low-medium heat for 4-6 min, until the soup is visibly thickened — it should coat the back of a spoon and a line drawn through that coating holds its shape — and no raw-flour taste remains. Adjust salt if needed. Serve immediately in warmed bowls.