Adding a single ingredient can make soup richer and more flavoursome, according to television chef Mary Berry. She includes crème fraîche in her soup recipes just before serving to give the flavours an additional lift.
Soup offers a comforting lunch or dinner option, particularly during the autumn and winter season. The adaptable dish is packed with flavour, and there is a variety to suit everyone's preferences, from tomato to pumpkin, peas, and carrot. Protein can be added with chicken, or texture with croutons.
Mary's secret ingredient
Mary's secret ingredient is crème fraîche. When preparing her fresh watercress soup, she said: "Four tablespoons of crème fraiche, and some salt and pepper, will give it that wonderful rich finish."
After her soup had reached a smooth consistency, Mary added the crème fraîche and mixed it through. She uses crème fraîche in numerous other soup recipes, including her creamy carrot and orange soup as well as her pea and mint soup.
Her pea and mint soup has been featured in Mary Berry's Family Sunday Lunches book. Her description states: "No better soup flavour and no better soup colour. When we were photographing this soup for the book, the team voted it the very best soup anyone had tasted for yonks!"
Mary Berry's pea and mint soup recipe
The serving size for this recipe is six people.
Ingredients
- 100g butter
- One large onion, roughly chopped
- One kg frozen petit pois
- 850ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
- Large bunch of fresh mint
- One to two tbsp mint jelly
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- A little creme fraiche, to serve
Method
In a large saucepan set over a high heat, melt the butter before adding the onion and frying for five minutes. Add in the peas and continue to fry for a further few minutes, then pour in the stock and bring to the boil.
Strip the leaves from the mint stalks and put them to one side. Add the stalks to the pan and return to the boil, then cover and leave to simmer for around eight minutes, or until the peas are tender.
Stir in the mint jelly, then remove and discard the mint stalks before folding in the mint leaves. Transfer to a food processor and blitz until completely smooth.
Pour back into the pan and season generously with salt and pepper. Serve either hot or cold, finished with a swirl of crème fraîche and accompanied by plenty of crusty bread.
