Four miles from my
house is a charming eatery called Magpie Restaurant. It is located on
the equally charming Historic Main
Street in what was once the Spanish governor's home (In more recent history it became infamously
known as “the witches
house.”), in the lively city of Saint Charles, Missouri on the banks of the
Missouri River, a city that was the gathering place for Lewis and Clark in1804.
Magpie oozes quaint ambiance indoors and out.
I love to dine al fresco at a table on the lovely cobblestone patio with a view
of the street where horse-drawn carriages are not unusual. They are known for
their soups, salads, quiches, and mouthwatering desserts. I've previously
shared their recipe for Baked Potato Soup here. Today, with
asparagus season upon us, I am sharing their recipe for Asparagus Soup. I
consider myself in the know when it comes to soups, so you can trust me when I
tell you that this is, by leaps and bounds, the best asparagus soup I have ever
eaten.
Magpie's Asparagus Soup
Yield: 4
1-1/2 cup servings
4 cups chicken stock
1 1/3 cups heavy
cream
2 teaspoons dried
tarragon
¼ cup cornstarch
1/3 cup cold water
4 teaspoons butter
Slice off asparagus
tips and reserve. Slice off woody stems and discard. Cut remaining spears into
2-inch pieces.
In a large pot,
bring chicken stock and asparagus pieces to a boil, once boiling, reduce heat
and let simmer about 10 minutes.
Transfer mixture to
a blender and puree. (Caution: To avoid spewing hot liquid, always puree hot
liquids in batches, filling blender no more than half full at a time.)
Return mixture to
pot, add reserved asparagus tips, cream and tarragon and bring just to a boil
but do not allow to boil.
To thicken the soup,
stir together cornstarch and water until smooth. Stir into soup and cook,
stirring often, until soup thickens, then for 5 more minutes.
Stir in butter a
teaspoon at a time, stirring until butter melts.
To serve
Magpie’s-style, serve the hot soup with a slice of home-baked French bread on
the side.
The chive garnish was my idea.
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