Cream of Asparagus Soup with Poached Egg Recipe

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 bundles green or white asparagus, trimmed
• 1 leek, washed and trimmed
• ½ stick/50g Butter
• 1 pint/400ml vegetable (or chicken stock for a non vegetarian soup)
• 1 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4 medium eggs, poached

Preparation:

• Cut the asparagus into 1"/3cm lengths. Reserve the tips and set aside.
• Halve the leek lengthwise and cut into ½"/1 cm pieces.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the leek and asparagus. Sauté for 3 minutes, until the vegetables are starting to soften. Add the stock and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the asparagus is soft and cooked through.
• Blend the soup in a food processor or with a hand blender, until smooth. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper and return to the pan. Add the double cream and warm through.
• Meanwhile, toss the asparagus tips in the olive oil, and heat a ridged griddle pan. Griddle the asparagus for 2 minutes. Serve the soup in warmed soup bowls if eating warm, or leave to cool if wanting to serve cold. Top each bowl with a lightly poached egg and some asparagus tips.

Hot Tips
When poaching the eggs put them into boiling salted water with a dash of vinegar as this helps to keep the egg together. The eggs can be poached in advanced and placed into a bowl of cold water then when the eggs are required they can be dropped back into boiling water.