HÉLÈNE DARROZE
Hélène Darroze at The Connaught (3 Michelin star)
This soup is a tribute to the traditions of my hometown and its joyful customs. Pink garlic soup recalls an old wedding custom from our countryside, when garlic soup was brought to newlyweds in the night, a playful, generous gesture celebrating love and new beginnings. Wild nettle brings freshness from the fields, a soft-boiled egg adds silky richness, and thin slices of “Noir de Bigorre” ham lend depth and elegance. A dish of memory and celebration.
PINK GARLIC SOUP FROM LAUTREC, NETTLE, SOFT-BOILED EGG AND “NOIR DE BIGORRE” HAM
1 bunch parsley
25 g butter
Coarse salt
Salt
Espelette pepper
90 g hazelnuts
5 g ham (Noir de Bigorre), cut into thin slices
2 ml extra virgin olive oil (first cold pressing)
6 sprigs chives
Garlic flower
Guérande fleur de sel
Recipe:
For the Garlic Soup:
Gently melt the butter in a saucepan until it becomes foamy. Add the flour, stir, and cook gently, stirring constantly and being careful not to let it brown. Pour in the poultry stock, milk and cream. Let it simmer without stirring until the mixture thickens.
Peel the garlic cloves, cut them in half, and remove the germ. Then blend to obtain a purée. Pour this purée into the saucepan and cook over a low heat for around ten minutes. Blend again, then strain through a sieve to obtain a smooth, velvety soup. Season with salt and white pepper.
For the nettle purée:
Wash and sort the nettles. Finely chop the parsley.
Bring 4 liters of water to a boil in a large pot. Add a good pinch of coarse salt. Add the nettles
and parsley and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Drain, then plunge immediately into iced water to
preserve the chlorophyll. Drain again.
Blend with a little cooking water until smooth. Adjust seasoning with salt and Espelette
pepper.
Toast the hazelnuts and roughly crush them.
Bring 2 litres of water to a boil in a saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Add the eggs and
cook for 5 minutes so that they are soft-boiled. Transfer immediately to iced water, then peel once cold.
For the Garnish:
Peel the garlic cloves. Cut them in half and remove the germ. Slice them into very thin strips.
Pour a drizzle of olive oil into a pan and gently sweat the garlic petals.
Wash the chives, dry them, and cut them into 4 cm batons.
Finely slice the ham and then cut into fine julienne.
When ready to serve, bring the soup to a simmer. Also heat the green butter and whisk in a knob of butter to finish it.
Adjust seasoning with salt and Espelette pepper.
Place 2 tablespoons of green butter at the bottom of each hollow plate.
Place a half soft-boiled egg in the center of the plate, sprinkle with julienned ham and garlic petals. Then place a few chive batons.
Sprinkle with a little fleur de sel and add a few drops of olive oil. Present the soup in a jug and pour it into the plates in front of the guests.
