French cuisine · Soups & Stews

Velouté d'Endives

Creamy endive soup from northern France, its delicate bitterness softened with cream and a pinch of sugar.

Ingredients · for 4 servings

• 700 g endive
• 300 g potatoes
• 1 onion
• 900 ml vegetable stock
• 40 g butter
• 200 ml cream
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• salt, pepper

Instructions

1. Remove the outer leaves from the endive, halve the heads lengthwise and cut out the bitter core in a wedge, then slice into strips; set a few tender leaves aside.
2. Peel and dice the potatoes and onion; sprinkle the reserved leaves with lemon juice so they don't brown.
3. Melt 30 g butter in a pot and sauté the onion and endive strips with the sugar over medium heat for 8–10 min until the endive collapses and lightly caramelizes.
4. Add the potato cubes, pour in the vegetable stock and simmer covered for 20 min until the potatoes fall apart.
5. Purée the soup finely, pass through a sieve, stir in the cream and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
6. Toss the tender endive leaves in the remaining butter for 1 min, ladle the soup into bowls and serve topped with them.