From Chef Daniel Boulud

Recipe Serves: 6

A Note from Chef Boulud

This dish is close to my heart, as it was included in the very first menu at my restaurant Daniel, 27 years ago, and quickly became a favorite. Served hot or cold, pea soup has been a seasonal mainstay at Daniel and in my cookbooks over the years. Indeed, the soup is such a favorite, it was served at my own wedding!

Ingredients

• 6 cups fresh peas assortment: Use English sweet peas, snap peas, snow peas or frozen peas, reserving 1/4 cup of English peas for optional tartine.
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 small white onion
• 1 leek
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 cups unsalted chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 bunch of flat or curly parsley
• 1 sprig thyme for bouquet garnish
• 1 bay leaf for bouquet garnish
• 1 sprig rosemary for bouquet garnish
• Twine for bouquet garnish: If you do not have twine, you can immerse the herbs loosely, but take note that this requires the individual removal of the herbs from the hot soup.
• 3 tablespoons fine grain sea salt or kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons freshly ground pepper
   

Additional optional ingredients

• 4 slices fully cooked bacon, for topping
• 1 garlic clove, peeled, split and germ removed, for infused cream
• 1 cup heavy cream, for infused cream
• 1 sprig rosemary, for infused cream
• 1/4 cup reserved peas from above, for tartine
• 6 slices prosciutto, for tartine
• 8 ounces ricotta, for tartine
• 4 slices sourdough bread, toasted for tartine; add 2 slices for optional croutons         
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, for tartine
• 1 lemon, for tartine
• 1 bunch of mint, for tartine
   

Pea Soup Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. On a baking tray lined with aluminum foil, bake bacon for 15 minutes or until crispy. Remove from tray and drain on plate lined with paper towels. Reserve for later use.
3. Over low heat add olive oil, celery, onion and leek to medium pot. Season with salt and pepper, then sweat vegetables, stirring until tender but not colored, about 15 minutes.
4. Add chicken stock and bouquet garnish. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Spoon out bouquet garnish and set broth in bowl over ice bath to chill soup quickly.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add English peas and cook for 3 minutes. Then add sugar snap and snow peas and cook for 7 minutes.
6. Using a strainer, remove peas from the boiling water when they are tender but still bright green. Then plunge them into an ice bath to cool them down as quickly as possible. Once all peas are ice cold, drain them from ice bath and store in refrigerator until ready to use.
7. Blanch parsley in boiling water for 1 minute and shock in cold water immediately after. Once parsley is cold, remove from water and dry leaves by squeezing between palms.
8. Put peas, parsley and a little cold soup into a blender and whirl until vegetables are smooth.  (You might have to add more soup to keep things moving in the container.) Add remainder of soup in batches, and whirl until you have a smooth mixture.
9. Push the soup through a fine-mesh strainer to make certain it is smooth and free of small pieces of pea skin, then season with salt and pepper. Set soup in a bowl over an ice bath to chill rapidly. Store in refrigerator until ready to serve.
    

Infused Cream Instructions

1. Bring cream, rosemary and garlic to a simmer in a small pot, reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, just until cream thickens a little. 
2. Strain cream, discarding rosemary and garlic, season with salt and pepper and chill.
    

Optional Tartine Instructions

1. Toast bread slices and smear the ricotta evenly over them.
2. Place a piece of prosciutto on each piece of bread and sprinkle reserved peas on top.
3. Garnish with a few mint leaves, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper.
    

To serve

1. Ladle soup into cold bowls and drizzle a bit of the infused cream over each portion.
2. Top with a sprinkling of bacon and serve the Tartine on the side.