White Bean Soup with Rosemary
In The Bible of French Cuisine, Alain Caron takes you on a journey through France. Serve a classic onion soup from Central France, make the most delicious Parisian-style pork chops, or travel to the south of France for oven-baked coquilles Saint-Jacques.
Don’t have any dried white beans at home? Or no time to soak them overnight? For convenience, you can of course also use canned or jarred beans for this soup.
Method
1. Soak the beans in cold water for at least 12 hours.
2. Drain the beans in a colander (set four aside for garnish) and put them in a pan with the chicken stock, rosemary and onion. Bring to the boil and skim off any foam. Put the lid on the pan and cook for 1 to 1½ hours, until tender. Check after 1 hour by tasting one, and cook a little longer if necessary.
3. Drain the beans, reserving the cooking liquid, remove the rosemary and set aside 1 tablespoon of beans per person. Purée the remaining beans with the onion and half of the cooking liquid. Add a little more cooking liquid if necessary to achieve a nicely fluid soup. Stir in the crème fraîche. Taste and season with white pepper. Depending on the stock used, you may also need to add a little salt.
4. Heat the soup before serving. Stir in 1 tablespoon of cold butter at the very end.
5. Spoon some beans into each bowl and pour the hot soup over them. Drizzle with a little olive oil if desired. Garnish with a small sprig of rosemary and a white bean.
Read also:
- This is where Alain Caron does his Christmas shopping
- Book review: The Bible of French Cuisine
- This poached pear is the ideal Christmas dessert
Title: The Bible of French Cuisine
Author: Alain Caron
Publisher: Carrera
Price: €31.99
