Velouté Cressonière

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Large pot for parboiling
• •Large bowl for ice water
• •Heavy 4-quart saucepan
• •Countertop blender
• •8-inch (20 cm) fine-mesh sieve
• •Heatproof mixing bowl
• •Whisk and ladle

Instructions

1. 1

   Sort and parboil

   Wash the main quantity of watercress in several changes of cold water, lifting the leaves out each time so the grit remains behind. Bring a large pot of water to a full boil and prepare a bowl of ice water. Working in batches, parboil the cress for 45 to 60 seconds, just until collapsed and brilliantly green, then transfer it immediately to the ice water. Drain, squeeze gently but thoroughly, and chop it roughly.

   Water left clinging to the cress dilutes the butter and makes the leaves simmer rather than stew. Press out the excess without crushing them into a dry knot.
2. 2

   Prepare the garnish

   Return the water to a boil and parboil the reserved garnish leaves for three minutes, as the original formula directs. They will soften and deepen in color. Lift them into the ice water, drain them well, and spread them on a clean towel so they remain separate rather than gathering into a wet clump.

3. 3

   Stew in butter

   Melt the stewing butter in a heavy 4-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the chopped watercress and stew it gently for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring often, until every leaf is coated and tender but nothing has browned. Butter, not margarine. The butter carries the peppery cress into the velouté, and browning would muddy both flavor and color.

4. 4

   Add the velouté

   Stir in the Ordinary Velouté and bring the mixture to the barest simmer. Cook for seven to eight minutes, stirring along the bottom and into the corners so the thick base cannot catch. If it does catch, don't scrape the scorched layer into the soup. Pour the clean portion immediately into another saucepan and continue there. Ça se rattrape.

5. 5

   Purée and sieve

   Purée the mixture in batches until completely smooth, filling the blender no more than halfway and venting the lid beneath a folded towel. Pass the purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean saucepan, pressing with a ladle until only dry fibers remain. This blender-and-sieve combination is the honest home equivalent of rubbing the soup through a tammy; do not omit the sieve, because the watercress stems will otherwise announce themselves in every spoonful.

6. 6

   Loosen with consommé

   Whisk in the Ordinary White Consommé and bring the soup slowly back to a bare simmer. It should flow like light cream while leaving a delicate veil on the spoon. If it is thinner than that, simmer it for a few minutes now, before the liaison is added. Once the yolks enter, reduction is no longer available to you.

7. 7

   Make the liaison

   Reserve 2 tablespoons (30 ml / 30 g) of the cream, then whisk the remaining cream with the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl. Take the soup off the heat and slowly whisk two ladlefuls into this liaison, warming it without scrambling the yolks. Whisk the tempered liaison back into the saucepan, then stir over the lowest heat until the soup gains a little body, ideally between 165°F and 175°F (74°C and 79°C). Never let it boil. If small curds or graininess appear, pull the pan off the heat at once, whisk in the reserved cold cream, blend briefly, and pass the soup through the clean sieve. Ça se rattrape.

8. 8

   Finish and serve

   Keep the saucepan off the heat and whisk in the cold butter a few pieces at a time until fully melted and glossy. Taste before adding salt, since the finished velouté and consommé may already provide enough. Ladle into warmed bowls and divide the parboiled watercress leaves over the surface. Serve at once. À table!

Chef Tips

• •The measured weight is for leaves and tender tips after trimming. Buy about 1¾ pounds (800 g) of bunch watercress to allow for thick stems and any yellowed leaves. The raw cress should smell fresh and finish with a clean peppery bite.
• •Use the Ordinary Velouté and Ordinary White Consommé as finished components, exactly as the classical formula intends. Taste both before combining them; heavily salted consommé becomes harsher as the soup is heated.
• •A blender alone makes the soup look smooth, but the sieve makes it feel smooth. That final passage is not ceremony. It removes the fine watercress fibers that cling to the tongue.
• •Serve with a dry Loire white whose freshness can meet the watercress, and plain bread for the last spoonful. Cooking well is not cooking fancy.

Advance Preparation

• •The Ordinary Velouté and Ordinary White Consommé may be prepared up to 3 days ahead and kept cold in covered containers, or frozen separately for longer storage.
• •The soup may be completed through the addition of the consommé up to 6 hours ahead. Cool it promptly, cover its surface, and refrigerate. Reheat gently before adding the liaison and finishing butter.
• •The garnish leaves may be parboiled, chilled, and dried up to 4 hours ahead. Keep them covered in the refrigerator and bring them out while the soup reheats.
• •Once the liaison has been added, reheat leftovers over very low heat while stirring. A boil will curdle the yolks and flatten the fresh watercress character.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 240g)