What is a “Velouté” Soup exactly?

The word “Velouté”, meaning “velvety” in French, can be used to describe either a sauce or a soup. Just like its name suggests, a French Velouté soup is velvety smooth – and full of flavor.

A French Velouté soup starts just like most other vegetable soups – by gently boiling vegetables in a light stock and then pureeing them together. Now what really makes a Velouté soup different, is that it is then enriched with a roux – a mixture of equal part butter and flour. The roux paste, whisked into the stock-vegetable mixture, thickens the soup and gives it its unique velvety texture. With the presence of butter, it also lends a richer, smoother taste to the soup.

It goes the same for a “velouté sauce” – one of the 5 French “mother sauces”. A velouté sauce starts with building a light stock (ie. chicken, mushroom, etc) which is then enriched with a  roux to turn richer and smoother.  

A Fresh Tomato Soup

This Fresh Tomato Velouté Soup is wonderful to make do with the abundance of garden tomatoes in late Summer. Any variety of fresh seasonal red tomatoes works for this soup: Heirloom, Roma, Plum, Beefsteak, On the Vine, Grape or even Cherry tomatoes (which are even more condensed in flavor). You can opt for just one variety, or a mix if you want.

Of course, try to use the ripest, reddest tomatoes you can find. The riper and redder the tomatoes are, the sweeter and more intense flavor they will have. If the tomatoes aren’t ripe enough, the soup will likely have an unpleasant tart flavor.

The measurement for this recipe is quite forgiving. No matter which variety of tomato you use, you will need 4 cups of diced tomatoes, which is roughly the equivalent of 800g.

How to store this Fresh Tomato Velouté Soup? 

After making (and enjoying) this soup, if you have any leftover, you can store it in the refrigerator or in the freezer.

• In the refrigerator: store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4-5 days. Reheat your soup portions on the stovetop or in the microwave.
• In the freezer: store it in a (freezer-friendly) airtight container and place it in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, let the soup thaw in the fridge before heating it through on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Cooking notes:

• Use 4 cups of fresh diced tomatoes, not canned. Diced tomatoes in cans come with a lot of juice, and this will make the soup too watery and rather bland in flavor.
• If you like tomato soup with a little spicy kick to it, add the ¼ tsp of cayenne pepper and ¼ hot pepper flakes. If you don’t want any spice to it, simply omit them.
• This recipe requires the use of a food mill, immersion hand blender or regular blender.
• This recipes serves 4 medium soup bowls or 6 small bowls. 

I hope you’ll love this Fresh Tomato Velouté Soup as much as I do! I love its smooth texture, the sweet natural flavor of the sunripe tomatoes, along with warming aromas from cloves, cayenne pepper and hot pepper flakes. This soup can be enjoyed either warm or cold. It is a great starter or a side dish, enjoyed with a grilled cheese for instance.

If you have any question, feel free to leave a comment! 

More recipes to enjoy Tomato Season: 

• Layered Vegetable Tian from Provence
• Eggplant Tomato Gratin from Provence
• Tarte a la Tomate (Classic French Tomato Mustard Tart)
• Tomates Farcies (Baked Ground Meat-Stuffed Tomatoes) 
• Provence-Style Tomatoes with Breadcrumbs and Herbs (Tomates à la Provençale)

Fresh Tomato Velouté Soup

Print Recipe

Serves: 4-6 people Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 20 minutes 20 minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 5 voted )

Ingredients

1 tbsp (20g) unsalted butter
1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
4 cups (800g) ripe tomatoes, diced
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 cloves
¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
¼ tsp hot pepper flakes (optional)
2 cups (500ml) stock (vegetable or chicken)
2 tbsp(40g)  unsalted butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt, or to taste
1 tbsp honey, or to taste

Crème fraiche or heavy cream, for serving

Instructions

Step 1 - In heavy bottom pot, over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. When the butter is foaming, add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent but not caramelized yet. Add the diced tomatoes, black pepper, cloves, cayenne pepper (optional), hot pepper flakes (optional) and stock (vegetable or chicken). Stir and bring to a gentle boil. Cover with a lid, turn the heat to medium-low and gently boil for 20 minutes.

Step 2 - After 20 minutes, purée the soup until smooth, using a food mill, immersion hand blender or working in batches using a regular blender. Transfer the soup to a large bowl and set aside.

Step 3 - Rinse and dry your heavy bottom pot and place it back onto the stove top, over medium heat. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Sprinkle with the flour and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until a thick paste forms (a roux) that leaves the edges of the pan clean. Switch to a whisk, and start adding the soup, one cup at a time, and whisking well between each addition to avoid any lumps.

Step 4 - Once all the soup is back into the pot and smooth, season with salt and stir in 1 tablespoon of honey. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed, with more salt and/or honey.

For serving, pour the soup into bowls and top with a dollop of crème fraiche or heavy cream.

Optional: Garnish with fresh herbs (ie. parsley or basil) or micro-greens (as pictured).

The post Fresh Tomato Velouté Soup appeared first on Pardon Your French.

It is a simple, unfussy side-dish or light dinner, and it’s a wonderfully different way to enjoy beets.  

A dish inspired by the “Betteraves à la Poitevine”

The inspiration for this recipe comes from the “Betteraves à la Poitevine”. This traditional dish hailing from Poitou, in west-central France, is utterly famous in France. It features beet slices cooked in an onion roux and then deglazed in wine vinegar. You’ll often find them accompanying rice, potatoes and meats.

My version of it is a little earthier, with the beets sauteed in a garlic and onion roux, deglazed in both white wine and wine vinegar, and finally completed with chopped kale. I also suggest you enjoy it with a side of crusty bread and goat cheese, which is a perfect pairing with beets.

How to make these Poitou-Style Braised Beets with Kale

The recipe starts by washing, peeling and slicing the beets. You should wear gloves for this step, or your hands will be purple and stained for days.

You then wash, drain and remove the ribs from the kale and chop it coarsely. When in season, you can substitute the kale with fresh spinach, Tuscan kale or even Swiss Chard. Any kind of leafy green will work great in here, and bring a perfect bitterness to this dish.

The recipe continues with building a roux in a large pan (ensure that this pan has a lid you can use with it). Caramelized onions, garlic, flour and butter are cooked until golden. Beet slices are then added and de-glazed in white wine and wine vinegar.

With the lid on, beets are slowly braised in the liquid until tender. For this step, use a pointy knife to test the tenderness of the beets – I’ll let you decide how you like your beets: slightly tender to utterly tender. Finally, the chopped kale is added, and stirred until wilted.

My Cooking tips:

• You can opt for red beets, yellow beets or a mix. Make sure you wear gloves (ie.plastic or latex gloves) when peeling the beets or your hands will be stained for days.
• I love the earthiness and texture of kale in this dish, but you can substitute them for in-season fresh spinach, Tuscan kale or Swiss chard leaves (all ribs removed and leaves chopped).
• For the goat cheese, choose a good Bûcheron if you can or an unripened goat cheese such as this one from Soignon, which is widely available in grocery stores in the US/Canada.

I hope you’ll love these Poitou-Style Braised Beets with Kale. They make for a great side to accompany poultry or pork, or a great dinner on their own served alongside goat cheese with crusty bread.

You may also like:

• French Lentil Soup 
• Provence-Style Tomatoes with breadcrumbs
• Eggplant Toasts with Goat Cheese and Walnuts

Poitou-Style Braised Beets with Kale

Print Recipe

Serves: 2-4 people Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cooking Time: 35 Minutes 35 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 4.5/5

( 8 voted )

Ingredients

4 large beets (or 5-6 medium)
½ bunch kale
3 tbsp (43g) butter (salted or unsalted)
1/2 yellow onion, peeled and diced
1 garlic clove, peeled and diced
2 tbsp (17g) all purpose flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
¼ tsp grated nutmeg
3 tbsp (45ml) dry white wine
1 tbsp (15ml) wine vinegar
1 tbsp (15ml) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Bread and ripened soft goat cheese, for serving

Instructions

Make sure you read the cooking notes before you start.

Step 1 – Prepare the vegetables. Wash, scrub and peel the beets; remove the greens and cut the beets into 1/4-inch thick slices. Wash and drain the kale; remove the ribs and coarsely chop the leaves.

Step 2 – In a large sauté pan, melt the butter over medium heat. When the butter is foamy, add the garlic and onion and cook until softened, for about 4-5 minutes. Add the flour, salt, ground black pepper and nutmeg, and cook for 1 minute to make a roux (the flour will turn moist and golden in color).

Step 3 – Add the beets, white wine and vinegar and stir until the flour is fully incorporated into the liquid. Reduce the heat and sauté, flipping the beet slices occasionally until the beets become tender, about 20-25 minutes (with a lid on). If the beets become too dry while cooking, you can add another 2-3 tbsp (45ml) of white wine (or water) if necessary.

Step 4 – When the beet slices are tender enough (you can test the tenderness by inserting a pointy knife), add the chopped kale and cook for about 2-3 minutes (lid off) until the kale is wilted and has absorbed the last of the moisture in the pan. Adjust seasoning if needed.

Step 5 – Transfer to a serving plate and drizzle with EVOO. Serve as a side, or enjoy with bread and slices of goat cheese.

Did you make this recipe?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a comment below, rate the recipe and/or share a photo on Instagram: tag @pardonyourfrench  and hashtag it #pardonyourfrench.  Bon Appetit! 

The post Poitou-Style Braised Beets with Kale appeared first on Pardon Your French.