Creme D'argenteuil Au Crabe (Asparagus Soup W/Crab -- France)

Submitted by twissis

"I know there are already many variations on the asparagus soup theme here on RZ, but ... every yr at this time, I think of Andi of LMF, her abundance of fresh asparagus, her love of Maryland crab & "Sat Lunch at the Farm". This recipe found in *The Best Ever French Cooking Course* cookbook by Carole Clements & Elizabeth Wolf-Cohen met my goal in all ways. Per the intro, " The word *Argenteuil* in any French recipe almost always indicates asparagus, being the town in north-central France famed for this superb seasonal delicacy." *Enjoy* !"

 

• Ready In: 35mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Yields: 4-6 Bowl or Cup Soup Servings
• Serves: 4-6

ingredients

• 3 lbs fresh asparagus (trimmed of woody ends & cut in 1-in pieces)
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1⁄2 cup whipping cream
• salt & freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
• 8 ounces white crab meat

directions

1. Melt butter in a saucepan over med-high heat. Add asparagus & cook 5-6 min, stirring freq till the asparagus is bright green but not browned.
2. Add stock & bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Simmer over med-heat for 2-4 min till the asparagus is tender, but crisp.
3. Reserve 16-18 asparagus tips for garnishing. Season to taste w/salt & pepper, cover & continue cooking for about 15-20 min till asparagus is very tender.
4. Puree the soup using a blender food proc or "magic bullet". Return soup to the saucepan & bring to a boil over med-high heat. Blend cornstarch w/2-3 tbsp cold water & whisk into the boliing soup to thicken. Then gradually stir in the cream, adjust seasonings to taste & serve immediately as below.
5. *To Serve* ~ Ladle soup into bowls & top w/2 oz crab meat + a few of the reserved asparagus tips. ~~ The # of servings or serving size was not given, so I estimated 4 bowl size servings or 6 cup size servings.

Reviews

[Andi Longmeadow Farm]

The asparagus and the blue crab finally meet, in this lively, fresh, but as smooth as a ice rink, delectable soup. It really, truly cannot get easier then this, and a joy to prepare as the sounds of slurping rafts from the empty soup bowls in the dining room. I followed this exactly, except used hand-picked crab meat (right from the shell - $ dollar crabs on Wednesday!) so I guess-ti-mated to approximately 7-9 ozs. when all was said and done. I think the serving size was right on, because some of us (Dennis!) had *two* bowls-ful. Needless to say, you can't go wrong with asparagus/crab/cream anything, but most especially~this recipe. Made in the 2009 ~ April.