Cream of sorrel soup

Cream of sorrel soup
Alternative namespotage Germiny, crème Germiny, potage crème d'oseille
TypeSoup
Associated cuisineFrench
Main ingredientsSorrel, cream
Ingredients generally usedEgg yolks, broth

Cream of sorrel soup, also known as potage Germiny, crème Germiny, or potage crème d'oseille, is a traditional French springtime vegetable soup, often served cold.[1] It can be made with French sorrel (Rumex scutatus), common sorrel (Rumex acetosa),[2] or with foraged wild greens with similar flavor profiles, such as sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella), wood sorrel (Oxalis corniculata, Oxalis albicans), sour grass,[3][4] or young leaves of dock (Rumex crispus, Rumex obtusifolius), etc.[5]

It is described as a classic French dish, and food writer Bonny Wolf states that "The French have probably had the longest, most ardent love affair with sorrel."[6] Craig Claiborne called potage Germiny "one of the absolute marvels of soupdom".[7][a] Mastering the Art of French Cooking includes potage crème d'oseille in a cluster of three similar recipes along with potage crème de cresson (cream of watercress) and potage crème des épinards (cream of spinach). The cookbook's authors state that cream of sorrel soup can be served hot or cold, and that cooks should "cut the leaves into chiffonade...do not purée the soup".[8]

Ingredients in the recipe from the 1971 Cent Merveilles de la cuisine française by Robert Courtine included sorrel, beef bouillon, heavy cream, egg yolks, cayenne, and white pepper.[1] A recipe for potage Germiny published in the United States in 1977 listed sorrel, butter, whipping cream, egg yolks, chicken broth, red pepper sauce, and "freshly ground [black] pepper".[9] A recipe for vegan cream of sorrel soup uses potatoes and miso as a texture and flavor base.[10] According to contemporary chef Hank Shaw, "As you might expect from a vegetable whose chief attribute is tartness, this soup would be inedible without the cream and eggs to temper it. With them, however, it becomes a bright, smooth wake-up call from a long winter."[4] Older, larger leaves of sorrel (and associates) are more sour than younger, smaller leaves, thus other ingredient proportions may need to be adjusted accordingly.[11]

The name potage Germiny is said to be a tribute to French banker and finance minister Charles Le Bègue de Germiny.[6]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Claiborne, who grew sorrel in his Long Island garden, recommended chiffonading the greens as they were harvest-ready, then cooking them "briefly in butter and at this point it may be placed in tightly sealed containers; it will freeze well to be used with such abandon as quantity permits as the winter progresses."[7]

References

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  1. ^ a b Courtine, Robert J. (1973) [1971]. Cent Merveilles de la cuisine française [The Hundred Glories of French Cooking]. Translated by Coltman, Derek. Originally published in France (1st U.S. ed.). New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. pp. 33–38. ISBN 9780374173579. LCCN 73085730. OCLC 790551.
  2. ^ Van d'Rhys, Darius (19 July 2009). "The Uncommon Common Sorrel". www.davesgarden.com. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  3. ^ Churchill, James E. (1 May 1971). "Cream of Sorrel Soup Recipe". Mother Earth News. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  4. ^ a b Shaw, Hank (4 April 2012). "Sorrel Soup Recipe - How to Make French Sorrel Soup". Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  5. ^ Ellen (2 March 2018). "All About Dock (Members of the Genus Rumex)". Backyard Forager. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  6. ^ a b Wolf, Bonny (20 May 2009). "Sorrel Makes Sour Sweet". www.npr.org. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  7. ^ a b Claiborne, Craig (3 September 1975). "Ways to Enjoy a Versatile, Little-Known Herb". The New York Times. p. 42. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  8. ^ Beck, Simone; Bertholle, Louisette; Child, Julia (1961). "Chapter 1: Soups (Potages et Soups)". Mastering the Art of French Cooking. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. pp. 42–43. LCCN 61012313 – via Internet Archive.
  9. ^ "Potage Germiny (Cream of Sorrel Soup)". Milwaukee Public Library Historic Recipe File. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  10. ^ Brill, Steve (17 March 2010). The Wild Vegan Cookbook: A Forager's Culinary Guide (in the Field Or in the Supermarket) to Preparing and Savoring Wild (and Not So Wild) Natural Foods. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. p. 139. ISBN 978-1-55832-721-4.
  11. ^ Purcell, Betty (2005). Masters of American Cookery: M.F.K. Fisher, James Andrew Beard, Raymond Craig Claiborne, Julia McWilliams Child. University of Nebraska Press. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-8032-6920-0.
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