Velvet Soup

Ingredients

• a fowl weighing about five pounds
• three pints of cream
• half a pint of blanched almonds
• a generous pint of stale bread
• two table-spoonfuls of butter
• one of flour
• three stalks of celery
• a slice of carrot
• an onion
• two bay leaves
• two sprigs of parsley
• two cloves
• a small piece of cinnamon
• a table-spoonful and a half of salt
• half a teaspoonful of white pepper
• two generous quarts of water

Method

1. 1

   Clean the fowl and place it in a small stew-pan, breast down.

2. 2

   Pour in water and bring to a boil, then simmer for two hours.

3. 3

   Remove the fowl and skim the fat from the water.

4. 4

   Strain the water into a clean stew-pan, add stale bread and vegetables/spices in muslin.

5. 5

   Simmer for one hour.

6. 6

   Pound the fowl's breast to powder.

7. 7

   Blanch and pound almonds with cream.

8. 8

   After simmering, rub stock and bread through a fine sieve.

9. 9

   Add salt, pepper, almonds, powdered fowl, and cream.

10. 10

    Boil, add flour and butter, rub through a sieve, and serve with chicken force-meat balls.

As published

This recipe was extracted from Miss Parloa's kitchen companion (1887) by Maria Parloa, page 77. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

Velvet Soup. At one time it was fashionable to serve only clear soups at company dinners or luncheons; but opinions on the subject have changed, and now delicate cream soups and bisques are considered better. For velvet soup you will require a fowl weighing about five pounds, three pints of cream, half a pint of blanched almonds, a generous pint of stale bread, two table-spoonfuls of butter, one of flour, three stalks of celery, a slice of carrot, an onion, two bay leaves, two sprigs of parsley, two cloves, a small piece of cinnamon, a bit of mace, a table-spoonful and a half of salt, half a teaspoonful of white pepper, and two generous quarts of water

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