Pea pod soup with Parmesan crème

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Pea pod soup with Parmesan crème
Serves 6
Nothing swings the summer like vibrant green peas. Sugar snap peas and snow peas are related and have much the same flavor, with snaps being round while the snows are flat. Both have itty peas inside, but do not need to be shelled.
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Ingredients
  1. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  2. 4 shallots, peeled and minced
  3. generous salt for boiling water
  4. 2 pounds snow peas or sugar snap peas, strings removed
  5. 3/4 cup rich broth, chicken or veggie
  6. sea salt and freshly ground nutmeg to taste
  7. freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste, about 2 teaspoons
  8. sugar to taste, about 1 teaspoon
  9. 1/2 cup heavy cream
  10. 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
Instructions
  1. In a large soup pot, melt one tablespoon of the butter over medium flame.
  2. Sauté the shallots until soft, about five minutes.
  3. Remove to a plate and wipe out the pot.
  4. Fill the pot with water and generously salt to bring to a boil over high flame.
  5. Throw in peas and cook for six minutes, short of losing bright green color.
  6. Drain into a colander or ice water bath and shock with cold water to stop cooking and retain color.
  7. Use an immersion blender or add half the peas to an ordinary blender.
  8. Purée till smooth, adding a little broth if necessary to make it flow.
  9. Add the remaining peas and the shallots and blend till smooth.
  10. Pass the purée through a strainer into a bowl. Use your fist to mash the mixture into the strainer to extract all the good and leave behind the stringy husky bits.
  11. Wipe the outside of the strainer with your fingers to capture all the soup into the bowl.
  12. Discard the solids remaining inside the strainer.
  13. Add the broth by bits until you reach the soup consistency you want. A
  14. dd salt, nutmeg, and lemon.
  15. Taste for balance and add just enough sugar to bring out the bright sweet of the pea.
  16. At this point, the soup can rest in the fridge for a few hours to accommodate schedules. Any longer than six hours, and it will start to fade in color.
  17. Heat slowly in the soup pot over medium flame until it bubbles.
  18. Add the remaining tablespoon of butter and heat another minute.
  19. Meanwhile, heat the cream and Parmesan in a small saucepan just to warm and melty.
  20. Serve soup in warm bowls with a dollop of crème in the center, then drag a knife in an S design once to distribute.
Notes
  1. This puréed soup is beautifully elegant ladled cold into tea cups as a starter and will serve twice as many folks.
Stonebridge Farm CSA http://stonebridgefarmcsa.com/