Pea Soup With Crème Fraîche Food

PEA SOUP WITH CRèME FRAîCHE

Steps:

• Cook shallots in oil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add potato and salt and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add water and simmer, covered, until potato is tender, about 15 minutes. Add peas and simmer, uncovered, 2 minutes.
• Purée in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids), then force through a very fine sieve into a saucepan. Reheat soup and season with salt and pepper.
• Drizzle servings with crème fraîche.

FRESH PEA SOUP WITH MINT AND CREME FRAICHE

Steps:

• In a soup pot melt butter and add onion, celery, leek, salt, and pepper. Cook vegetables for 5 minutes until translucent. Add curry powder and cook 2 minutes. In cheesecloth, combine bay leaf and thyme and tie to form an herb sachet. Add sachet of herbs to vegetables. Have stock simmering in saucepan. Add hot stock to vegetables, boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 minutes. Add peas and simmer for additional 10 minutes.
• Remove sachet of herbs and discard. With immersion blender, puree soup (or puree with care in batches in a conventional standing blender). Return soup and pot to heat, add creme fraiche, being careful not to allow soup to boil, reheat. Add mint and serve.

BLACK-EYED PEA SOUP WITH HAM HOCKS AND CREME FRAICHE

Steps:

• Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Once hot, add the onions, bell peppers and celery to the pan and cook until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the ham hocks and peas, and saute for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bay leaves to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the ham hocks and peas are tender, about 3 hours. Remove the ham hocks from the soup and set aside until cool enough to handle. Remove the meat from the skin and bones. Discard skin and bones and return the meat to the pot, along with the Essence, salt, and pepper. Return the soup to a boil, then serve, with each bowl of soup garnished with 1 tablespoon of creme fraiche and chopped chives.
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William Morrow, 1993.

BAREFOOT CONTESSA'S FRESH PEA SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a large saucepan, add the leeks and onion, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until the onion is tender.
• Add the chicken stock, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil.
• Add the peas and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the peas are tender. (Frozen peas will take only 3 minutes.)
• Off the heat, add the salt, and pepper.
• *Puree the soup in batches: place 1 cup of soup in a blender, place the lid on top, and puree on low speed.
• With the blender still running, open the venthole in the lid and slowly add more soup until the blender is three-quarters full.
• Pour the soup into a large bowl and repeat until all the soup is pureed.
• Whisk in the creme fraiche and chives and taste for seasoning.
• Serve hot with garlic croutons.