An easy delicious recipe for spring pea soup

On these warm summer days, what could be more refreshing than serving a beautiful cold soup?

iPhone photo by M. Hanson

This soup could not be easier. It requires only a few minutes of cooking and a blender. The nasturtium flower shown is completely edible, and gives such an elegant presentation. Its delicately-crunchy peppery taste is perfect for this recipe, and what a color combo! Makes a lovely, light first course at a ladies’ luncheon.
SPRING PEA SOUP
serve cold
Requires a blender

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Small Vidalia or other sweet white-fleshed onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 (12 oz. to 16oz.) bag frozen spring peas or frozen baby peas
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (no stems), rinsed.
1 cup crème fraîche, divided (recipe follows, so easy but takes 12 hours to set up)

In a medium fry pan, sauté onions in butter over medium heat until soft and golden but not brown, about 10 minutes.
Set aside.

In a medium large pot, pour in chicken broth and bring to a rolling boil.
With broth fully boiling, add cooked onions, then peas.
Bring back to a boil and cook for 2 or 3 minutes more. Peas should still be bright green. Remove from heat.

Working quickly, so that the pea mixture does not continue to cook and fade color, add about 3/4 cup of pea/broth mixture to blender. Place top on blender. Whirl a few seconds. Add mint leaves, salt and pepper. Place top on blender. Whirl again. Add another 3/4 cup broth mixture and whirl until smooth. With blender running, and with  blender lid on but opened,

SLOWLY stream in remaining broth mixture, making sure that warm broth does not splatter. Blend until very smooth and velvety. Stir in 1/2 cup crème fraîche. Chill.

Before serving, drizzle with more crème fraîche.
Makes about 8 appetizer servings.

Crème  fraîche recipe
(So easy you’ll never buy expensive ready-made again)
One cup heavy cream (supposedly the ultra-pasteurized brands do not work)
2 tablespoons buttermilk

That’s it. Stir together in a glass canning jar, and screw lid on.
Put in a warm place (I put under my kitchen counter-top lamp with the light on) for 12 hours until thickened but not solidified. Stir again until smooth and refrigerate up to 10 days. If mixture has become too thick, it can be thinned with a little more cream. Stir again before drizzling.

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Ready for lunch!