Literary gastronomic offerings II

In chapter XI of “Pride and Prejudice” Miss Bingley asks her brother: “By the way, Charles, are you really serious in meditating a dance at Netherfield?” To which Mrs. Bingley replies: “…it is quite a settled things; and as soon as Nicholls has made white soup enough I shall send round my cards.” 

White soup? I was intrigued. And the research began. Apparently this soup was a staple at Regency balls. Interestingly enough, I wasn’t the first person to wonder about this dish. I found more than one recipe online, and everyone said that the taste was worth the effort. The general consensus was that clearly in Jane Austin’s times this wasn’t a cheap dish, and it would have been even more labour intensive that now. Challenge accepted! 

I will start with the summary: DE-LI-CIOUS! Before I share the steps, a few observations:

1.     If you make/use beef bone broth rather than chicken broth, it will be a beige soup rather than white.

2.     Patience is required. Do not skip the step of leaving the soup in the fridge overnight (how did they do it in the summer in those times, I am not sure), as real magic happens then. Flavours come together and texture changes.

3.     If at the beginning you think that there is too much liquid and too much soup, don’t worry. I started with 2.5L and finished with 2 small bowls for lunch.

4.     Yes, I can see how this was not a peasants’ dish in Jane Austin’s times. Only the Bingleys would afford the ingredients then. 

Here is how I made it:

·      Two choices for the starter: you can make our own broth (chicken or beef, with bones is the best). However, I had beef bone broth so I used that. Put 2.5L of the broth in a big pot, with 0.5 kg of bacon, 2 anchovies, one chopped onion, one whole bunch of celery roughly chopped, 6-10 peppercorns, fresh thyme, bay leaf, rosemary, and well as ¾ cup of rice. Gently bring to a boil and simmer for 3 hours partially covered. It is not a bad idea to stir it a few times so the rice does not stick to the bottom.

·      Strain the soup and put it into a fresh smaller pot. Leave it in the fridge overnight.

·      Next day, remove the solidified fat from the top. Bring the soup to a boil.

·      Add almonds. Different sources suggest different ways: sugared ground almonds or regular. In any case, choose blanched almonds, as otherwise the brown bits will cloud the soup. You can use a grinder for a fine grind, but I used the mortar because I prefer a bit of a crunch.

·      Boil the soup with almonds for 2 minutes.

·      In a cup mix well an egg yolk and heavy cream. Take the soup off the burner and stir in the cream and yolk while mixing. Serve the creamy, smooth soup right away. Next time, I will add croutons.

The final product is fantastic. We loved the flavours and the texture, and we will be definitely serving this soup at parties!