Alton Brown Asparagus Soup Recipe

Alton Brown Asparagus Soup Recipe is a bright American vegetable starter that highlights spring flavors. This smooth puree blends fresh asparagus with sweet onions and a touch of heavy cream, finished with a zesty squeeze of lemon and salty feta.

Approach B: If you do nothing else, make sure you trim the woody ends off your stalks before they ever touch the pot. That’s the difference between a silky, elegant soup and a bowl full of tough, stringy fibers that get stuck in your teeth. I’ve learned that even a high-powered blender can’t fix the texture if you include those bottom bits of the stems.

The lemon juice at the end is doing more work than you’d think here. Without it, the asparagus can taste a bit heavy and flat once the cream is mixed in. The acid wakes up the whole dish and makes it taste like it came straight from a garden. I like to serve this in small bowls with a few extra cracks of black pepper on a chilly April afternoon.

Alton Brown Asparagus Soup Recipe Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (28g) unsalted butter
• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 pounds (900g) asparagus spears, woody ends removed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
• 3 cups (710ml) vegetable or chicken stock
• 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream, plus more for drizzling
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Crumbled feta cheese, for garnish

How To Make Alton Brown Asparagus Soup Recipe

• 1. Sauté aromatics: Melt the butter in a large pot over medium-low heat. Toss in the diced onion and minced garlic with a generous pinch of salt and pepper, then cook for about 5 minutes until the onion looks see-through and soft.
• 2. Add asparagus and dill: Stir the asparagus pieces and the dried dill into the pot. Let them cook with the butter and onions for 5 minutes, which helps the vegetable develop a deeper flavor before the liquid goes in.
• 3. Simmer the soup: Pour the stock over the vegetables and turn the heat up to bring it to a boil. Once it’s bubbling, turn the heat down and let it simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until the asparagus is soft enough to smash with a spoon.
• 4. Puree the mixture: Use an immersion blender directly in the pot to blend the soup until it’s completely smooth. If you’re using a standard blender, work in small batches and hold the lid down with a towel so the steam doesn’t blow the top off.
• 5. Finish with cream and lemon: Return the smooth soup to the pot if you moved it, then stir in the heavy cream and lemon juice. Give it a quick taste to see if it needs more salt or a little more pepper to balance the richness.
• 6. Garnish and serve: Ladle the hot soup into bowls and finish each one with a tiny drizzle of cream and a sprinkle of feta. If you saved a few of the tips from the asparagus, you can steam them quickly and float them on top for a better look.

Recipe Tips

• Check the asparagus tips: Look for spears with tight, closed buds at the top. If the tips are starting to open or look wet, the asparagus is past its prime and will give the soup a bitter, swampy taste instead of a fresh one.
• Use a fine mesh strainer: For a truly professional texture, pour the blended soup through a sieve before adding the cream. This catches any tiny bits of skin or fiber that the blades missed, making the final bowl much smoother.
• Don’t boil the cream: After you add the heavy cream and lemon juice, keep the heat on low just to warm it through. High heat can cause the lemon juice to curdle the dairy, which ruins the appearance of the dish.
• Sauté the tips separately: Save the top inch of a few spears and cook them in a little butter in a small pan. Using them as a garnish adds a nice bite to an otherwise soft dish, so it isn’t just one texture.
• Freeze your vegetable scraps: If you’re using homemade stock, save the woody ends of the asparagus in a freezer bag for your next batch of broth. They’ve still got plenty of flavor even if they’re too tough to eat in the soup itself.

What To Serve With Asparagus Soup

A thick slice of toasted sourdough with salted butter is the perfect side for dipping. You could also serve a grilled cheese sandwich with a mild white cheddar if you want a more filling lunch.

A simple salad of sliced radishes and cucumbers provides a nice crunch next to the smooth soup. If you want something more substantial, a small portion of roasted salmon pairs naturally with the lemon and dill flavors.

How To Store Asparagus Soup

• Fridge: Keep the soup in a sealed container for up to three days. It actually tastes better the next morning because the dill and garlic have more time to mingle with the asparagus.
• Reheat: Warm it up in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally so the cream doesn’t scorch on the bottom. If the soup looks too thick after sitting, just stir in a splash of water or extra stock.
• Freeze: This soup freezes quite well for up to two months, but it’s best to freeze it before you add the heavy cream. When you’re ready to eat it, thaw it out, heat it up, and then stir the fresh cream and lemon juice in at the end.

Alton Brown Asparagus Soup Recipe Nutrition Facts

Per serving (1 of 6):

• Calories: 165 kcal
• Protein: 4g
• Fat: 12g
• Carbohydrates: 11g
• Sugar: 4g
• Sodium: 480mg

FAQs

Try More Recipes:

• Alton Brown Asian Slaw Recipe
• Alton Brown Asian Noodles Recipe
• Alton Brown Artichoke Spinach Dip Recipe