Cream of Asparagus Soup (Hot or Cold)

 🌿 Cream of Asparagus Soup (Hot or Cold) 🌿

“An excellent light supper need be no more than a good soup, a salad, cheese and fruit. And combined according to your own taste, a good homemade soup in these days of the can opener is almost a unique and always a satisfying experience,”  so says Julia Child in Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume One, Fortieth Anniversary Edition published by Alfred A. Knopf 2006.

And the beauty of this soup is that it is equally excellent served either hot or cold. Depending on the occasion, the weather, your menu, your mood… whatever it may be – choose the hot or cold version for your delicious soup-centric supper.

The month of May is the perfect time to serve this super-easy, seasonal asparagus soup! The color is quite spring-y. It has a lovely mild, grassy flavor with earthy and nutty undertones plus an exquisite creamy texture. It’s simultaneously simple and elegant, suitable for a weeknight supper or a weekend gala.

Cream of Asparagus Soup Recipe

Cream of Asparagus Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs. trimmed asparagus 
• 1 1/2 c. good chicken stock
• sea salt
• 1/4 t. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 c. heavy cream (warmed) plus more for drizzle
• 1 t. msg (optional)
• key limes for serving

Method:

Cook asparagus in boiling salted water until just tender. Remove to an ice bath to stop the cooking. Slice the tips from the stalks. Keep the tips separate. 

Blend asparagus stalks, chicken stock, 1/4 teaspoon salt and cayenne pepper in a high-performance blender (such as Vitamix) on the hot soup program for 5 minutes 45 seconds. Add cream and MSG if using, then blend for an additional 10 seconds. Taste for seasoning and balance.

Hot Version

Briefly warm the asparagus tips in microwave. Add tips to serving bowls. Pour hot soup over the tips. 

Cold Version

Refrigerate tips until ready to serve. Let the prepared hot soup come to room temperature then refrigerate until cold. Add tips to serving bowls. Pour chilled soup over the tips. 

Garnish

Drizzle a bit of heavy cream over the soup. Garnish with edible flowers if desired. Serve with key limes on the side so guests can “brighten” the soup to their liking. Grilled bread brushed with olive oil makes a nice crispy accompaniment to the creamy soup.

Add a salad, cheese, and fruit per Julia’s recommendation.

Update

Be sure to save a cup of the soup to make my Cod with Asparagus Cream Sauce recipe here.