Chilled Fennel Soup with Sorrel and Feta Cheese

Chilled Fennel Soup with Sorrel and Feta Cheese

Author: La Crema Culinary Team
Serves: 6 to 8

Ingredients

For the fennel soup:

• 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 fennel bulbs, stalks and fronds reserved and bulb sliced
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• ¼ cup Chardonnay verjus
• ¼ cup white wine, such as Pinot Gris
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 2 cups water
• 2 tsp. sugar
• Kosher salt
• ¼ cup crème fraîche or sour cream

For Serving

• 6 large sorrel leaves
• ½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pot over medium heat.  Once the oil has warmed slightly, add the sliced fennel bulb and yellow onion.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring often.
2. Add the verjus and wine and increase the heat to medium-high.  Cook for 1 minute.
3. Add the vegetable stock, water, sugar and a pinch of salt.  Once the liquid comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, bring a medium sauce pot of water up to a boil over high heat.  Submerge the reserved fennel stalks and fronds in the boiling water for 1 minute and then shock in ice water to stop the cooking.
5. Transfer the fennel stalks and fronds to a blender along with the simmered soup ingredients and blend for 1 minute or until smooth.
6. Stir in the crème fraîche and season with salt.  Stain through a sieve and chill.

For Serving

1. Pour 4 ounces of cold fennel soup into each serving bowl.  Cut the sorrel into thin strips and garnish each bowl with a small pile of sorrel and crumbled feta.  Enjoy with crusty bread.