Best Mcgrath Farms Watercress Soup With Gentlemans Relish Toast Recipes

WATERCRESS SOUP

Steps:

• Wash and drain watercress.
• Fill a 3- or 4-quart pot with the water; bring to boil.
• Drop pork and garlic cloves into boiling water. Cover pot and lower heat to medium. Cook 30 minutes.
• Add watercress. Bring to boil.
• Lower flame under pot. Crack egg over pot. Stir egg yolk and white into soup, breaking up yolk while cooking.
• Add Accent if desired and salt. Simmer soup uncovered, skimming off surface, about 10 minutes.
• Add more salt if desired. Serve.

WATERCRESS AND POTATO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook, stirring, until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the potato, garlic, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper and cook, stirring, until the potatoes are well coated, 2 to 3 minutes more. Pour in the broth and bring to a simmer.
• Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a simmer. Stir in the watercress and cook 5 minutes more. Remove from the heat, discard the thyme and let cool at least 5 minutes. Carefully puree until smooth with a handheld immersion blender or in 2 to 3 batches in a blender (do not fill the blender more than halfway full per batch).
• Stir in the cream and reheat the soup if necessary, adjusting the consistency and seasoning with additional water, salt and pepper.
• Serve hot sprinkled with almonds and chives.

COLD CREAM OF WATERCRESS SOUP

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepan with olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and the watercress stems only and saute until wilted, about 10 minutes.
• Add the chicken stock and potatoes and season well with salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare an ice water bath by partially filling your largest mixing bowl with ice cubes and water.
• In batches to avoid overfilling and splattering, ladle the soup into a blender or food processor, adding some of the creme fraiche and watercress leaves with each batch and reserving about 2 dozen whole leaves for a garnish. Puree each batch and transfer to a fine-meshed strainer held over a large mixing bowl that fits inside the ice water bath, using a rubber spatula to press the puree through the strainer. Taste the puree, adjust the seasonings, if necessary, with more salt and pepper, and stir in the lemon juice.
• Place the bowl of soup inside the ice water bath and chill it until cool, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Remove the bowl of soup from the ice water bath, dry its underside, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
• Before serving, taste the soup. If it is too thick, thin it with a little cold milk, chicken stock, or water, to a thick, creamy consistency. Adjust the seasonings, if necessary. Ladle into chilled bowls and decoratively garnish each serving with a few of the reserved watercress leaves.

WATERCRESS SOUP WITH WHISKEY CREAM

Steps:

• Bring the cream and 2 tablespoons whiskey to a simmer in a medium skillet over medium heat; cook until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon whiskey. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until cold.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and celery; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water, the potato, broth, sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt; bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the potato is tender, about 10 minutes.
• Add the watercress to the saucepan and simmer until just tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the soup to a blender in batches and puree until smooth. Return to the saucepan and bring to a bare simmer; season with salt and pepper.
• Whisk the chilled whiskey cream until soft peaks form. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each with a dollop of the whipped cream.

MCGRATH FARMS' WATERCRESS SOUP WITH GENTLEMAN'S RELISH TOAST

Steps:

• Heat a large pot over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add 4 tablespoons butter, and when it foams, add the sliced onion, leeks, carrot, and celery. Stir to coat with the butter, and season with 1 tablespoon salt and some pepper. Cook 5 minutes and add the chile, thyme, and parsley sprigs. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are just starting to caramelize.
• Add 10 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down and simmer 30 minutes. Strain the stock, discard the vegetables, and set the stock aside.
• Return the pot to medium heat for 2 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons butter, and when it foams, add the diced onions, cayenne, 1 teaspoon salt, and a healthy grind of pepper. Cook the onions about 5 minutes, stirring often, until they're translucent and tender. Add the vegetable stock, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a boil.
• You will need to purée the soup in batches. Place 2 1/2 cups of the watercress, 1 tablespoon chives, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, and 1 1/2 teaspoons tarragon in the blender. Ladle 1 1/2 cups of the hot stock over the greens. Cover tightly, and carefully start the blender at the lowest possible speed. When the mixture is puréed, add another cup of stock and turn the blender up to high. Add more stock, until the soup is a little thicker than heavy cream. Run the blender at high for 1 minute to ensure the soup is very smooth and creamy. With the motor running, pour in 1/2 cup of cream and taste for seasoning. Add a little squeeze of lemon juice if you like. At this point, the soup's consistency should be that of heavy cream.
• Set the first batch of soup aside, and repeat the process with the remaining watercress, herbs, stock, and cream.
• Pour the hot soup into a large tureen or soup bowl and pass the toasts on the side, so they remain crunchy. Tell your guests to float the toasts in their soup.
• Gentleman's relish on toasts
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Cut the baguette on the diagonal into twelve 1/4-inch-thick slices. (You may have leftover bread.) Brush both sides of each slice generously with olive oil, about 1/4 cup in all. Arrange the slices on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven 10 to 12 minutes, until golden and crispy but still tender in the center. Let cool.
• Combine the butter, anchovy, shallot, lemon juice, zest, cayenne pepper, parsley, and chives in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• When the toasts have cooled, spread them with gentleman's relish.