Ingredients:
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1 leek, white part only, thinly sliced,
- 2 celery ribs, strings removed and finely chopped
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper, ground
- pinch of Cayenne pepper, ground
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 4 tablespoons all -purpose flour
- 4 cups milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 pints oysters and their liquor
Preparation:
Time: 1 hour
Yield: 4
- Heat a small skillet. Remove it from fire. Toss the saffron threads in the hot pan until fragrant. Remove from the pan and crush them coarsely.
- Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat in a Dutch oven or saucepan. When the foam subsides, add the leek and celery. Add the salt, white pepper and Cayenne. Sweat them until soft. Do not let them color.
- While the vegetables soften, heat the milk and cream on medium -low with the bay leaf, thyme and celery leaf if using. Bring it just to a simmer. Lower the heat so that it does not scorch.
- Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter to the vegetables. After the butter foams, dust the flour over. Cook the roux gently for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, so that the flour absorbs the fat.
- Fish the aromatics out of the warm milk / cream. Pour the liquid into the Dutch oven and whisk until the liquid thickens up and smooths out. Bring it to a simmer while you whisk away.
- Add the oysters and their liquor and simmer for three minutes more, just until their edges curl. Ladle into pre-warmed tureen or serving bowl. Sprinkle the saffron over and give the soup a swirl. The saffron will leave trails of red and gold. Serve immediately.
