Celery Soup

Celery soup is a classic French recipe made with celery, onions, garlic, and chicken stock. The soup is thickened with a finished with a velouté sauce made from a blonde roux and chicken stock. It's finished with egg yolk and cream.The soup is typically served hot and can be garnished with croutons or chopped celery leaves.

The recipe dates back to the 17th century, when celery was first introduced to France. It was a popular vegetable among the wealthy due to its expensive cultivation. The recipe became popularized in the 19th century when celery became more widely available. The technique of making a roux and velouté sauce has been a staple in French cuisine for centuries, and is used in many other classic French recipes.

SoupVegetablesFrenchMother Sauces

Prep Time: 15 min

Cook Time: 45 min

Total Time: 1 hour

Yield: 2 servings

A bowl of celery soup with toasted crostini.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped celery
  • ½ cup finely diced celery
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1 garlic clove, smashed and chopped
  • 1 + 1 Tbsp. butter
  • 1 Tbsp. flour, sifted
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • ½ cup cream
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • Thyme
  • Parsley
  • Chopped celery leaves (light)

Equipment

  • Blender

Instructions

Braise

  1. 1.
    Add oil to a 2 quart sauce pan and heat.
  2. 2.
    Sauté onions and celery for 5 minutes.
  3. 3.
    Add smashed garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
  4. 4.
    Add salt, pepper, thyme, and parsley and stir.
  5. 5.
    Cover with chicken stock and braise on simmer until the celery is tender.

Sauce

  1. 6.
    Heat 1 cup of chicken stock.
  2. 7.
    Heat 1 Tbsp. of butter in a small sauce pan until it stops frothing.
  3. 8.
    Sift in 1 Tbsp. of flour, whisking continuously.
  4. 9.
    Once the roux is a golden color, whisk in 1 cup of hot chicken stock.
  5. 10.
    Reduce by about half until it coats the back of a spoon.

Brown

  1. 11.
    Add 1 Tbsp. of butter to a small, hot pan.
  2. 12.
    Sauté ½ cup of diced celery until tender but still firm.

Blend

  1. 13.
    Purée the celery mixture with the stock and return to the sauce pan.
  2. 14.
    Add ½ cup of velouté and stir.
  3. 15.
    Set the heat under the pan to simmer.
  4. 16.
    Heat ½ cup of cream in a small sauce pan.
  5. 17.
    Whisk in an egg yolk.
  6. 18.
    Slowly add the cream mixture to the celery base and whisk together.
  7. 19.
    Increase heat to low and reduce to desired thickness.
  8. 20.
    Before serving, toss in the sautéd diced celery and mix.
  9. 21.
    Dish into bowls and sprinkle chopped young celery leaves on top.
  10. 22.
    Serve with toasted crostini.