Spring Vegetable Bisque

French Country Cooking Class
6+ servings
depending on your chopping
skills takes around an hour

For my mother-in-law's 60th birthday my

husband and I treated her and my father

in law to a cooking class. This soup

is packed with veggies, a smooth creamy texture

and has NO CREAM! Even my father-

in-law liked it!

2 tbs butter
2 leeks, cleaned and sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
1 tsp salt
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, cored, and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped
6 cups of chicken broth (to keep it vegetarian you could use vegetable broth)
1 lb asparagus
S&P
chives for garnish

1. In a large heavy pot, melt butter over medium high heat and add the chopped and clean leeks. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of salt. Stir well, cover and lower the heat to medium-low. 
2.Cook gently without browning, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes, or until leeks are tender and sweet.
3. Add the fennel, carrots, potatoes, and broth to the pot. Raise the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil. 
4. Lower the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stir occasionally about 10 minutes.
5. Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus. Trim off the tender tips and reserve. Chop the stalks up and add to the vegetable mixture in the pot.
5.  Simmer until all the vegetables are tender about 10 more minutes
6. While the soup is simmering, bring about 1 inch of salted water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the reserved asparagus tips and quickly simmer until tender about 5 minutes. Drain.
7. Remove the soup from the heat and very carefully pour or ladle it through a strainer into a large bowl (keep the vegetables!).
8. Add about a third of the vegetables to a blender. Add a few ladles of broth. Blend until smooth, adding more broth if the mixture is to thick to puree.
9. Stop and taste for both texture and salt. Add more broth to bring the mixture to the consistency of cream, and add salt to heighten the flavor. Re blend and test again, tweak with broth and salt to desired taste.
10. Pour mixture into large pot and repeat with the rest of the vegetables and broth (You may not need all the vegetable broth).
9. Reheat the pureed mixture on the stove and check one last time for salt and pepper.
10. Ladle the soup into serving bowls. Garnish with the blanched asparagus tips and chives....Serve!!

*To be fancy pansy you can add a dollop of cream to the middle of the soup bowl and then sprinkle the top with the asparagus and chives.

*Great to make ahead, very versatile for a sipping appetizer, a light first course, or paired with chunky french bread a nice meal.