Sorrel & Leek Soup

Sorrel soup is a French classic, and a classic all over Europe with different twists. And it is pure comfort food to accompany cool fall nights. I modified this recipe from Julia Child’s French sorrel soup in Mastering the Art of French Cooking by substituting leeks for onions and adding additional sorrel.

Sorrel is bright green, lemony, and tart. It is commonly called “sourdock” due to its tartness. It’s not surprising that it is a cousin of rhubarb. It grows as a perennial (comes back each year) in lush patches in my garden. Sorrel pairs with seafood or chicken. I sometime make a simple sorrel sauce for salmon but prefer this wonderful soup alongside slow roasted salmon with caramelized leeks. It is also a full meal served with crusty bread and salted butter.

In this recipe, the sour of the sorrel is rounded and tempered by the addition of cream and eggs. The end result is a bright, creamy, and fantastically unique soup. If you don’t have sorrel in your yard, use watercress and substitute sour cream for the cream.

This recipe serves 4 as a main with crusty bread.

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

• 1/2 cup chopped leeks, white and tender green portion of the leek

• 6 cups roughly chopped sorrel, packed

• Salt

• 3 tablespoons flour

• 1 quart chicken stock or vegetable stock

• 2 egg yolks

• 1/2 cup cream

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the leeks and turn the heat to medium-low. Cover the pot and cook gently for 5 minutes.

While the leeks cook, pour the stock into another pot and bring to a simmer.

Turn the heat up to medium under the leeks and add the sorrel, a stout pinch of salt, and a few grinds of fresh black pepper and stir well. The sorrel will quickly turn olive green the second it touches the heat. When the sorrel is mostly wilted, turn the heat back to low, cover and cook 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Mix in the flour and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.

Whisk the hot stock into the sorrel/leek mixture while stirring constantly. Bring this to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low.

To finish the soup, whisk together the egg yolks and cream. Temper the mixture by ladling a little soup into the eggs and cream with one hand while whisking the mixture with the other hand. Repeat this step three times to prevent the eggs from scrambling when added to the larger pot of soup. Keep the soup on low. The next step is to pour the hot egg-cream-soup mixture into the pot with the soup while whisking the soup constantly until well combined. Add the final tablespoon of butter and stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Always reheat the soup slowly over low heat to prevent the egg and cream from curdling.