Almond soup has a delicate flavour. For best results use freshly blanched and ground almonds. Bought ground almonds can be used instead, but they are inclined to froth up in the pan as the soup comes to the boil.
Ingredients
100 g 4 oz 2–3 1 1.75 litres 3 pints 25 g 1 oz 25 g 1 oz 3 dl ½ pint - salt and freshly milled pepper
2–3 tablespoons 1 few
Method
Blanch the almonds and grind in a Mouli grater or a blender. Place in a saucepan along with the washed and cut up celery and the chopped onion. Add the hot chicken stock and bring up to the boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer gently for 1 hour. Draw off the heat and strain the liquid, pressing well to extract all the flavour.
Melt the butter and stir in the flour. Gradually add the almond-flavoured stock, stirring well to get a smooth mixture: Add the milk and bring up to the boil. Draw off the heat and add the blended cream and egg yolk. Check seasoning and stir in the toasted slivered almonds.