Chilled Broccoli Soup with Porcini
Submitted by edduck
Chilled broccoli soup pureed with potato and chicken stock, served ice cold with paper-thin raw porcini mushroom slices, chives, and ricotta toasts. A refined, restaurant-quality cold soup for summer.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
90 minREADY
2 hrsThis is soup that belongs on a white tablecloth. Broccoli and potato simmered in chicken stock, pureed silky smooth, strained, and served ice cold with raw porcini slices so thin you can see through them and crispy ricotta toasts on the side.
The potato serves as the thickener. An hour and a half of simmering breaks the cubes down completely, giving the puree a velvety body without any cream. Blanched broccoli florets go into the blender with the hot potato broth, and the whole thing gets strained through a fine strainer for a texture that’s absolutely smooth.
Icing the soup immediately after straining is critical. Fast chilling locks in the bright green color and fresh broccoli flavor. Slow cooling in the fridge turns it dull green and muddy-tasting.
The raw porcini garnish is the luxury touch. Sliced paper-thin on a mandoline and dressed with extra virgin olive oil, chives, sea salt, and white pepper, they add an earthy, woodsy contrast to the clean, green soup.
Chef Tips
- Blanch the broccoli in salted boiling water until just tender, then shock in ice water. This preserves the vibrant green color that carries through to the finished soup.
- Strain through the finest strainer you have. Any fiber that gets through will be noticeable in a chilled soup where the texture is this refined.
- Use an ice bath (bowl of soup set inside a larger bowl of ice) for the fastest chill.
- Serve in chilled bowls for the coldest possible presentation.
Variations
- Use vegetable stock instead of chicken for a vegetarian version.
- Substitute dried porcini rehydrated and sautéed if fresh porcini aren’t available.
- Swap the ricotta salata toasts for a drizzle of truffle oil for an even more indulgent finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Heat the olive oil and add the diced shallots.
Sweat and season with salt and pepper over a medium flame.
Once shallots become translucent, add the cubed potatoes and sweat for three minutes.
Add the chicken stock.
Bring to a boil and simmer for 1½ hours over medium heat.
Remove and purée with an upright blender. Add the blanched broccoli to the purée while blending.
Season, strain through a fine strainer and ice immediately.
Serve ice cold. Preparation of the Garnish: Slice the Porcini on a very sharp Japanese mandoline and add chives, salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.
Preparation of the Ricotta Toasts: Dry toast the bread until crispy and golden brown.
Cool and spread ricotta on the toast.
Grind black pepper on top and serve with garnish
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