Chilled English Pea Soup
from local chef Leif Hedendal
This recipe was demonstrated at CUESA's Market to Table programs on May 24, 2008.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups English peas, shelled
1/4 cup crème fraîche ( I prefer to use crème fraîche from Cowgirl Creamery)
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
Fleur de sel, to taste
PREPARATION:
- Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Meanwhile, soak the peas in ice water. This helps them to retain their vibrant green color.
- Blanch the peas in the boiling water for 1-4 minutes, depending on the maturity of the peas. They should be cooked until just tender; 2 or 3 minutes is usually best. Strain your peas and then get them into a bowl of ice water immediately.
- Place the cold, cooked peas in a blender with the sea salt and cover with cold water. Blend until very smooth.
- At this point the soup can be served, or if you would like a smoother, silkier texture, pass the soup through a fine mesh strainer.
- Whip the crème fraîche with a whisk just until soft peaks form. Be careful, as crème fraîche is easily over whipped.
- Distribute the soup into bowls and garnish with a dollop of the whipped crème fraîche, some mint, and a bit of fleur de sel.