Summer Pea Soup with Pear Sorbet and Watercress

Ingredients

• 1.30 gram butter
• 2.30 millilitre vegetable oil
• 3.2 onions, sliced
• 4.2 carrots, sliced
• 5.1 stalk celery, chopped with leaves
• 6.2 garlic, crushed
• 7.seasoned salt and white pepper, Lawry's brand or similar; to taste
• 8.1 kilogram frozen peas
• 9.1 litre water
• 10.20 millilitre chicken stock powder
• 11.medium curry powder, 1–2½ teaspoons; to taste
• 12.turmeric, a good pinch
• 13.30 millilitre sherry
• 14.white pepper, ground
• 15.500 millilitre extra seasoned chicken stock, 2 cups water with 2 tablespoons chicken stock powder, 1–2 teaspoons curry, pinch white pepper; used to thin if needed
• 16.pear sorbet, served in a ramekin floating in the soup bowl
• 17.watercress, to garnish the sorbet

Method

1. 1.Sauté onions and carrots until golden in the butter and oil. Sauté very slowly — about an hour.
2. 2.Add the celery and garlic. Stir fry 1–2 minutes. Season with seasoned salt and pepper.
3. 3.Add peas, water and chicken stock powder. Cook till tender (approximately ¼ hour). Liquidise and strain.
4. 4.Add curry powder, turmeric, sherry and pepper.
5. 5.If too thick, thin with the 'extra' seasoned chicken stock.
6. 6.Refrigerate overnight.
7. 7.To serve: place warmed soup in soup bowls. Place a ramekin of pear sorbet in the soup bowl and float it. Garnish the sorbet with watercress.

Notes

• Serves 8–10.
• Card note: 'I found I needed extra ''extra'' seasoned chicken stock.' — the soup absorbs more liquid as it chills.
• The pear sorbet garnish is a dramatic presentation — the cold sorbet melts slowly into the warm soup.
• See also pear-sorbet.yaml.