Potage au Potiron (French Pumpkin Soup)

Ingredients

• 3 lbs. ripe pumpkin
• 3 oz. butter
• 1 bay-leaf
• 1/2 lb. stale bread
• 1 onion
• 1 quart milk
• 1 quart stock
• 1/2 gill cream
• 2 yolks of eggs
• salt
• pepper
• 1 pinch of sugar
• fried bread croutons

Method

1. 1

   Cut the pumpkin into thick slices, remove the pips, put in a stewpan, cover with boiling water, add salt to taste, and boil for five minutes.

2. 2

   Strain off the water, rub the pumpkin through a fine sieve.

3. 3

   Melt the butter in a stewpan, add the pulp; stir for a few minutes over the fire, then add the stock, which should be previously boiled.

4. 4

   Soak the bread in the milk, peel the onion and cut into slices.

5. 5

   Boil up the milk, bread, and onion, and then put with the soup, add the bay-leaf, and cook slowly for twenty minutes; stir occasionally, and remove the scum which rises on the top.

6. 6

   Take out the bay-leaf, pass all through a tammy or fine sieve, return to the stewpan, add a good pinch of sugar, season with salt and pepper, and keep boiling for a few minutes longer.

7. 7

   Put the cream in a soup-tureen, stir in the yolks of eggs; when the soup is required, pour it slowly into the tureen, stirring it at the same time with a whisk.

As published

This recipe was extracted from The new century cookery book (1901) by Charles Herman Senn, page 118. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

Potage au Potiron ( French Pumpkin Soup). — 3 lbs. ripe pumpkin, 3 oz. butter, 1 bay-leaf, % lb. stale bread, 1 onion, 1 quart milk, 1 quart stock, \ gill cream, 2 yolks of eggs, salt, pepper, 1 pinch of sugar, fried bread croutons. Cut the pumpkin into thick slices, remove the pips, put in a stew- pan, cover with boiling water, add salt to taste, and boil for five minutes. Strain off the water, rub the pumpkin through a fine sieve. Melt the butter in a stewpan, add the pulp ; stir for a few minutes over the fire, then add the stock, which should be previously boiled.. Soak the bread in the milk, peel the onion and cut into slices. Boil up the milk, bread, and onion, and then put with the soup, add the bay-leaf, and cook slowly for twenty minutes ; stir occasionally, and remove the scum which rises on the top. Take out the bay-leaf, pass- all through a tammy or fine sieve, return to the stewpan, add a good pinch of sugar, season with salt and pepper, and keep boiling for a few minutes longer. Put the cream in a soup-tureen, stir in the yolks of eggs ; when the soup is required, pour it slowly into the tureen, stirring it at the same time with a whisk. A plate of fried bread croutons should accompany this soup, or else some very thin slices of the crust of a French roll should be put in before it is sent to table. 186. Puree de Choux de Br uxelles (. Brussels Sprout Soup). — 1^ lb. Brussels sprouts, 3 pints of good stock, 1 gill cream, a small piece of soda, salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg. Wash and trim the sprouts, cook them till tender in salted water containing a very small piece of soda (to preserve the colour), drain well and rub through a fine sieve. Put the puree in a stewpan with the stock, boil up and let simmer for a few minutes, take off the scum, season to taste, add the cream. Keep hot until wanted for table ; but on no account let the soup boil again after the cream is once added. 187. Puree de Marrons d la Chasseur. — Procure 3 pints of large chestnuts, split them across with a sharp-pointed knife, plunge them into a stewpan with boiling water and allow to boil two minutes, drain well, dry them on a cloth and put into a frying-pan with a small piece of butter, place over a quick fire for five minutes, cover over with a cloth, apd remove shells while hot. Place the prepared chestnuts in a large stewpan with 2 quarts of game stock or dark beef stock. Cook slowly until the chestnuts are tender, rub through a fine sieve, return to the stewpan, dilute with more stock if necessary, season with salt, pepper, and a little sugar and grated nutmeg ; stir over the fire until it boils, add by degrees 4 oz. of butter, and bind with 3 egg-yolks and £ gill cream. Serve with croutons of game and fried bread (any kind of game will do). 164 THE NEW CENTURY COOKERY BOOK 188. Puree de Poireaux a la Creme (Leek Puree). — 1 bunch (6) leeks, 2 oz. butter, 1 pint bechamel sauce, 1 quart white stock, 3 yolks of eggs, 1 gill cream,

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.