Chef Juliette
Bouillabaisse à la Marseillaise
Marseille's great fish stew, saffron-gold and garlic-scented, proves that a hard boil can be the careful choice: it binds olive oil into broth before the whole pot meets bread.
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Potage Elisa
Created by Chef Juliette
Based on No. 722, Potage Elisa, from Le Guide Culinaire (1907) by Auguste Escoffier
Potage Elisa sets tart sorrel against a satin poultry velouté, then binds the whole with yolks, cream, and cold butter. The lesson is gentle heat: once the liaison enters, the soup must never boil.
Soups & Stews
French
Dinner Party
Comfort Food
20 min
Active Time
25 min cook•45 min total
YieldAbout 2 quarts (8 first-course servings)
Potage Elisa (silken poultry soup with sorrel) teaches the discipline of finishing a bound soup without boiling it. The poultry foundation is mild and rich; the late spoonful of sorrel fondue supplies the tartness that brings it into focus. Know one thing before touching the pan: once the liaison enters, the heat must become gentle.
The original assumed a saucier on staff, finished poultry velouté and white consommé drawn from pots never off the fire, and a tammy for the final silken texture. A home kitchen has those foundations prepared ahead, one heavy saucepan, and a fine-mesh sieve. The salamander, useful elsewhere, has no work in this potage. The quantities here make a two-quart home batch for eight first courses while retaining the book's three-to-one base ratio and proportional finishes. The staffed station and cloth tammy are scaffolding; the velouté, liaison, finishing butter, and last-minute sorrel are the dish.
Temper the yolks slowly, mount the butter away from direct heat, and fold in the fondue only when the bowls are waiting. If the liaison catches, don't pour it out. Ça se rattrape, and the rescue sits exactly where you'll need it. The decisive step remains simple: after the yolks enter, never let the soup boil.
Potage Elisa belongs to the named potages of the Parisian classical repertory, where a standard velouté became a distinct soup through its liaison and final garnish rather than through a new foundation. It moved naturally from grand kitchens to formal household tables because trained cooks already kept poultry stock, consommé, and roux-based velouté as working preparations. The proper name offers no sound regional claim; the recipe itself tells the truth, poultry is the body, while a last spoonful of sorrel fondue cuts its richness.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
finished poultry velouté
Quantity
6 cups (1.42 L / about 1.45 kg)
cold or at room temperature
finished white consommé
Quantity
2 cups (475 ml / about 475 g)
divided
large egg yolks
Quantity
4 (about 70 g)
heavy cream
Quantity
1 cup (240 ml / 240 g)
cold and divided
fresh sorrel leaves
Quantity
2 packed cups (475 ml / 60 g)
stems removed and leaves finely sliced
unsalted butter, for the sorrel fondue
Quantity
1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g)
cold unsalted butter, for finishing
Quantity
10 tablespoons (150 ml / 142 g)
diced
fine salt (optional)
Quantity
Up to 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml / 3 g)
only if needed
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| finished poultry veloutécold or at room temperature | 6 cups (1.42 L / about 1.45 kg) |
| finished white consommédivided | 2 cups (475 ml / about 475 g) |
| large egg yolks | 4 (about 70 g) |
| heavy creamcold and divided | 1 cup (240 ml / 240 g) |
| fresh sorrel leavesstems removed and leaves finely sliced | 2 packed cups (475 ml / 60 g) |
| unsalted butter, for the sorrel fondue | 1 tablespoon (15 ml / 14 g) |
| cold unsalted butter, for finishingdiced | 10 tablespoons (150 ml / 142 g) |
| fine salt (optional)only if needed | Up to 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml / 3 g) |
Equipment Needed
- •4-quart heavy saucepan
- •Fine-mesh sieve or chinois
- •Heatproof mixing bowl
- •Small skillet
- •Whisk
- •Instant-read thermometer
Instructions
- 1
Smooth the velouté
Set a fine-mesh sieve over a heavy 4-quart saucepan and rub the poultry velouté through it with the back of a ladle. This is the honest home equivalent of the tammy: it removes any grain from the roux without whipping air into the soup. Whisk in all but 2 tablespoons of the white consommé, keeping that small amount cool for the finish.
- 2
Mix the liaison
Whisk the egg yolks in a heatproof bowl with all but 2 tablespoons of the cold cream until perfectly smooth. This is the liaison, the egg-yolk-and-cream binding that gives the potage its final richness. Keep the remaining cream cold; it is both part of the recipe and your insurance if the yolks begin to catch.
- 3
Warm the foundation
Set the saucepan over medium-low heat and stir often, scraping the bottom and corners, until the velouté reaches about 175°F (79°C). The surface should tremble gently at the rim without breaking into bubbles. Remove it from the heat. A hard boil can scorch the roux now and will certainly curdle the liaison later.
- 4
Cook the sorrel fondue
Melt the tablespoon of butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sliced sorrel and stir for 1 to 2 minutes, just until it collapses into a soft, pulpy fondue. Its green will relax toward olive as its own acidity meets the heat; this is normal. If liquid collects, cook only until it disappears, then take the skillet off the heat before the sorrel dries or loses its tart character.
Fondue here means the pulpy state of the cooked sorrel, not a cheese preparation. The leaves should be soft and moist enough to melt through the finished soup. - 5
Bind without boiling
Whisk about 1 cup of the hot velouté into the liaison a little at a time, beginning with small spoonfuls so the yolks warm gradually. Whisk this tempered mixture back into the saucepan, return it to the lowest heat, and stir constantly until the soup reaches 160 to 165°F (71 to 74°C), about 2 to 4 minutes. It must not simmer. If tiny yellow flecks appear, lift the pan from the heat immediately and whisk in the reserved cold cream, then pass the soup through a clean fine-mesh sieve. Ça se rattrape when caught at the first fleck. If the soup remains smooth, stir in the reserved cream and warm it gently back to temperature.
- 6
Mount and serve
Take the saucepan completely off the heat. Whisk in the 10 tablespoons of cold butter a few cubes at a time, letting each addition disappear before adding the next. The potage should become glossy and pour in a broad satin ribbon. If an oily ring appears, the pan is too hot; stand it on a cool damp towel and whisk in a teaspoon of the reserved consommé until the emulsion closes again. Add any remaining consommé, taste before correcting the salt, then fold in the sorrel fondue. Ladle into warm bowls at once and do not return the potage to the heat. À table!
Chef Tips
- •The finished poultry velouté and white consommé are foundations, not decorative extras. Make them ahead and keep them cold or frozen in useful portions. If classical white consommé is not available, a clear, gelatin-rich poultry stock that has been carefully strained and defatted is the honest home equivalent; the result will be slightly less refined in flavour, but the method remains sound.
- •Sorrel should taste clean, tart, and almost lemony. Fresh leaves are ideal, but good frozen sorrel is the classical pantry's sensible answer out of season; use the same weight, thaw it, and squeeze away excess water before making the fondue.
- •Do not reach for lemon or spinach when sorrel is absent. One supplies acidity without the leaf, the other supplies the leaf without the acidity, and neither gives Potage Elisa what its final spoonful is meant to do.
- •The cold finishing butter is part of the potage's structure. Add it gradually away from direct heat so it emulsifies instead of floating. We don't apologize for butter.
- •A dry Loire Chenin Blanc has enough acidity for the sorrel and enough body for the poultry velouté. Serve modest pours; this is a first course with real richness.
Advance Preparation
- •The poultry velouté and white consommé can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated separately, or frozen in measured portions for up to 3 months.
- •The sorrel can be washed, dried, stemmed, and sliced several hours ahead. Wrap it loosely in a barely damp towel and refrigerate, but cook the fondue only while the soup is warming.
- •For a dinner party, complete the recipe through warming the velouté. Make the liaison and sorrel fondue during the final 10 minutes, then bind, mount, and serve without delay.
- •Leftover finished potage keeps for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Reheat it over very low heat while stirring, keeping it below 165°F (74°C); boiling will curdle the liaison and flatten the sorrel.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 300g)
Calories
410 calories
Total Fat
37 g
Saturated Fat
22 g
Trans Fat
1 g
Unsaturated Fat
13 g
Cholesterol
195 mg
Sodium
990 mg
Total Carbohydrates
11 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
2 g
Protein
10 g
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