Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Volume 2 (19 page)

1)
The soup base

1½ cups combination finely sliced leeks and onions, or onions only

¼ cup olive oil

A heavy-bottomed stainless or enameled 3-quart saucepan with cover

2 large cloves minced or mashed garlic

1¼ to 1½ cups chopped fresh tomato pulp (4 medium tomatoes peeled, seeded, and juiced)

4 cups liquid: white-wine fish stock, or equal parts clam juice, water, and white wine or vermouth

The juice from the tomatoes

2 large pinches saffron threads

The following tied in washed cheesecloth: 6 parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaf, ¼ tsp thyme, ½ tsp basil, 4 fennel seeds, and a 2-inch piece of dried orange peel or ¼ tsp bottled dried peel Salt and pepper

Cook the leeks and onions slowly with the oil in the covered saucepan for 5 to 6 minutes until tender but not browned. Add garlic and tomatoes, raise heat slightly, and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Add the rest of the ingredients, bring to the boil, and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes. Carefully taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed.

2)
Preparing the scallops

1 lb. (2 cups) bay or sea scallops, fresh or frozen

A large bowl and sieve

Soak the scallops in cold water for 2 or 3 minutes if fresh, until completely defrosted if frozen. Lift out and drain, looking over each for sand; wash again if necessary. Leave bay scallops whole. Cut sea scallops into ⅜-inch chunks.

3)
Finishing the soup

The soup base

The scallops

2 to 3 Tb coarsely chopped fresh parsley

French bread

Optional: a bowl of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring the soup base to a rapid boil, add the scallops, bring to the boil again and boil slowly uncovered for 3 minutes. Check seasoning again. Serve either from a warm tureen or in soup cups or plates, and decorate
with parsley. Pass the bread and optional cheese separately.

(*) Soup may be cooked several hours before serving. Let cool uncovered, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to a full boil for 2 or 3 seconds before serving. Note that a full boil is necessary to redistribute the olive oil into the liquid.

Other ideas

For a more nourishing soup, you can add 2 cups of diced “boiling” potatoes or a handful of pasta to the soup base 10 minutes before the end of its simmering. You could enrich the soup with an egg yolk and oil liaison, as for the
soupe aux poivrons
, or with a
rouille
, as for the
bouillabaisse
in Volume I, page 52. See also the recipe for
bourride
with its
aïoli
enrichment
.

  
VELOUTÉ DE SAINT-JACQUES

[Cream of Scallop Soup—hot or cold]

This deliciously creamy soup is a cousin of the Breton
mouclades
, mussel soup, and you may serve it either hot or cold.

For 6 to 7 cups, serving 4 to 6

1)
The court bouillon

4 cups liquid: 2 cups dry white wine or 1½ cups dry white vermouth plus water

1 cup thinly sliced onions

¼ cup thinly sliced carrots

¼ tsp each: fennel seeds, thyme, and curry powder

4 peppercorns

1 clove mashed garlic

1½ bay leaf

6 parsley sprigs

½ tsp salt

A heavy-bottomed stainless or enameled saucepan with cover

A sieve set over a bowl

Simmer the ingredients for the
court bouillon
in the partially covered saucepan for 20 minutes. Strain, pressing liquid out of ingredients, and return the
court bouillon
liquid to the pan.

2)
Cooking the scallops

1 lb. (2 cups) scallops, fresh or frozen

Soak the
scallops in cold water for 2 or 3 minutes if fresh, until completely defrosted if frozen. Lift out and drain, looking over each for sand; wash again if necessary. Cut into ¼-inch dice. Bring the
court bouillon
to a boil, add scallops, bring again to just under the boiling point, and simmer uncovered for 3 minutes. Drain the liquid into the bowl, leaving scallops in sieve. Rinse and dry the saucepan.

3)
The velouté soup base

3 Tb butter

4 Tb flour

A wooden spatula or spoon

The
court bouillon

A wire whip

1½ to 2 cups milk

½ to ¾ cup heavy cream

2 egg yolks

The scallops

Salt and white pepper

Melt the butter in the saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook slowly for 2 minutes without browning. Remove from heat and let cool a moment, then pour in all the warm
court bouillon
at once, beating vigorously with a wire whip to blend thoroughly. Bring to the boil for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring to reach all over bottom of pan. Thin with milk as necessary; soup should not be too thick, since the egg yolks to come will also thicken it. Remove from heat. Pour ½ cup of the cream into the bowl, blend in the egg yolks with a wire whip, and gradually dribble in about 2 cups of the hot soup, beating. Return mixture to the pan and stir in the scallops. Carefully correct seasoning.

(*) Soup may be prepared to this point several hours in advance. Clean off sides of pan with a rubber spatula and float a spoonful of cream on the surface to prevent a skin from forming. When cool, cover and refrigerate.