Chicory Cream Soup

Ingredients

• 750 g chicory
• 100 g butter
• 1 L béchamel sauce (mother sauce)
• 1 dL white consommé or milk
• small amount bread cubes
• small amount chervil leaves (pluches de cerfeuil)
• as needed clarified butter

Instructions

1. Blanch the chicory, then refresh it in cold water. Press it dry and chop finely. Braise the chopped chicory gently in butter until very tender.
2. Add the braised chicory to 1 litre of warm béchamel sauce (a mother sauce of roux blanc and milk). Continue cooking gently and pass the entire mixture through a fine sieve (étamine).
3. Adjust the consistency by adding 1 decilitre of white consommé or milk as needed. Heat through and finish by stirring in a small amount of cold butter (monter au beurre) just before service.
4. Serve garnished with small bread cubes sautéed in clarified butter until well browned, and fresh chervil leaves.
5. Note: This soup may also be prepared using velouté (a mother sauce of roux blond and fond de cuisine) in place of béchamel.