Cream of Spring Pea: Sumptuous soup for the season!

This graceful soup is quite unlike any version you have eaten; all ingredients act solely to enhance the fresh flavour of the peas. The colour is as enticing as any hue could be, far more brilliant than this photo. This soup delights the eye first.

The flavour is at once intense and light, with no meat stock or cream. I wish I could make it for you... so here's the recipe, the next best thing.

Potage Purée Saint-Germain
(Six servings)

Ingredients

2 oz. lean bacon (2-3 slices), well chilled and cut into tiny dice
1/2 cup unsalted butter (8 tablespoons)
4 lbs fresh tiny peas in the pod, OR 2 lbs shelled small peas OR 3 packages (10 oz. each) petite frozen peas, thawed and drained
6 cups water
1 bouquet garni (5-6 fresh parsley stems, 2 bay leaves, 2 fresh thyme sprigs tied in 1 large celery stalk)
1 teaspoon salt
6-8 fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped
(Note: If you prefer, you can substitute 6 fresh chervil sprigs)
Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

1. Put bacon in a heavy 3-qt. saucepan over low heat. Sauté, stirring often, until the bacon is crisp, about 5 min. Using a slotted spoon, remove bacon, drain on paper towels, and reserve. Pour off all bacon fat and reserve for other cooking purposes.

2. Add 3 tablespoons of the butter and the peas to the saucepan and cook together over low heat, stirring often, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the water, the bouquet garni, and the salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the peas are completely tender, about 15 minutes. (Frozen peas require much less cooking time.) Remove about 1/2 cup of the peas from the cooking liquid with a wire skimmer and reserve.

3. Remove the bouquet garni and discard. Drain the peas, reserving the cooking liquid. Working in batches, pass the peas through a food mill or purée in a food processor. Add the cooking liquid as needed to ease the puréeing. (If you use a food processor, it will be necessary to strain the puree through a sieve after processing.)
Return the pea purée to the saucepan, adding cooking liquid as needed to achieve a good consistency. Reheat over low heat, taste and add more salt if needed.

4. Melt the remaining 5 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook the butter, stirring often, until lightly browned (noisette). Stir in the reserved peas and reheat gently.

5. Divide the buttered peas among 6 heated soup plates. Ladle in the pea soup and garnish each serving with an equal amount of the reserved bacon and the chopped mint leaves. Serve immediately, passing a pepper grinder at the table.


This recipe is from Lois Anne Rothert's "The Soups of France", a collection of fascinating soups, including Wild Mushroom and Hazlenut Soup, and another family favourite, Lyonnaise Rice and Onion Soup.