American-born Paris dweller Patricia Wells has turned her love of French food into a remarkable series of culinary works. The Paris Cookbook reflects that affection and her familiarity with the Paris food scene, offering 150 of its best recipes. From famed chef Joël Robuchon's sublime Creamy White Bean Soup to a hearty flank steak dish courtesy of Wells's butcher; from bistro Chez Benoit's Asparagus and Green Bean Salad to confectioner La Maison du Chocolate's Bittersweet Chocolate Mousse
During the last years of his chiefdom on the rue de Longchamp, Joel Robuchon served this rich, soul-warming white bean cream as part of his all-truffle menu. With a faintly smoky flavor and that creamy richness of good white beans, this should be served in small portions. I like to serve it as a small first course, which can be drunk from a simple white demitasse cup. The soup can be anointed with finely minced truffles or with a drizzling of hazelnut oil. I only recently learned that fresh white beans, such as the French cocos blancs, which can be found from May to September, can easily be frozen. So when you find the beans in your farmers' market, freeze them for one of those cool winter days when bean soup is all that will do!
Makes 12 Demitasse Servings
2 pounds fresh small white (navy) beans or red (cranberry) beans in the pod, shelled; or 1 pound dried small white beans (such as cannellini, Great Northern, or marrow beans), soaked (see Note) carrots, peeled and halved
1 onion, peeled and stuck with a clove
4 cloves garlic: 3 peeled, 1 very finely minced
1 bouquet garni: several sprigs of parsley and thyme, and several bay leaves, tied together with cotton string
3 ounces smoked bacon, in one piece
Sea salt
2 cups Homemade Chicken Stock
1 cup heavy cream
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Freshly ground white pepper
1 small fresh black truffle (about 1 ounce), cleaned and minced (optional); or several teaspoons best-quality hazelnut or pistachio oil (optional)
Equipment:
A 6-quart stockpot; a food processor; a food mill; 12 demitasse cups or other very small bowls.
In a 6-quart stockpot, combine the fresh or soaked dried beans with the carrots, onion, garlic cloves, bouquet garni, bacon, and 1 teaspoon sea salt. Cover with cold water, bring to a boil, and cover the pot. Simmer gently over low heat until the beans are very tender, about 30 minutes for fresh beans, 1 to 1 1/2 hours for dried beans. (The cooking time will vary according to the freshness of the beans.) Add additional stock or water if necessary.
Drain the beans. Remove and discard the carrot, onion, garlic, bouquet garni, and bacon. Transfer the beans to a food processor and purée. Pass the purée through the finest grid of a food mill. (The soup can be prepared ahead of time up to this point. Cool and refrigerate.)
At serving time, reheat the purée. Add the chicken stock and cream, stir to blend, and bring just to a simmer. Stir in the butter and the minced garlic. Add sea salt and white pepper to taste. Serve piping hot, in very small warmed soup bowls or in demitasse cups. Sprinkle with minced truffles or drizzle with hazelnut oil, if desired.
NOTE: To prepare dried beans, rinse them, picking them over to remove any pebbles. Place the beans in a large saucepan. Cover with boiling water by 2 inches. Cover and let stand until the beans swell to at least twice their size and have absorbed most of the liquid, about 1 hour. Drain the beans in a colander, discarding the soaking liquid. Proceed with the recipe.
This is delicious with a floral white, such as a Condrieu or a Viognier from Domaine les Gouberts.
