Pea cream soup with mint and feta cheese

Ingredients for 4 people

For the pea cream soup

• 500 g young peas, fresh or frozen
• 1 shallot
• 30 g butter
• 80 ml dry white wine
• 500 ml light vegetable stock
• 100 ml cream
• 40 g cold butter
• salt
• white pepper
• 1 pinch of sugar
• some lemon zest
• a few drops of lemon juice

For the mint oil

• 30 g fresh mint
• 100 ml neutral vegetable oil
• 30 ml mild olive oil

For the sheep cheese cream

• 120 g mild sheep cheese
• 50 g crème fraîche
• 20–30 ml cream
• some lemon zest
• white pepper

For the garnish

• 60 g young peas
• some small mint leaves
• pea shoots or fine herb cress
• some crumbled sheep cheese
• mint oil

Preparation

1. Blanch the peas

Blanch the peas in strongly salted, boiling water for about 1–2 minutes.

Remove immediately and shock in ice water. This stops the cooking process and preserves the intense green color.

Set aside about 60 g of peas for the garnish.

2. Prepare the soup base

Finely chop the shallot.

Heat butter in a pot and sweat the shallot in it over low heat until translucent. It should not take on any color.

Deglaze with white wine and reduce the wine almost completely.

Add vegetable stock and cream and let simmer gently for about 5 minutes.

3. Blend the soup

Add the blanched peas to the hot soup base.

Immediately blend everything very finely in a high-performance blender.

Gradually blend in the cold butter.

Then pass the soup through a fine sieve.

Season with salt, white pepper, a small pinch of sugar, some lemon zest, and a few drops of lemon juice.

Do not cook the soup for long afterward.

Mint oil

Blanch the mint leaves in boiling water for about 10 seconds and immediately place them in ice water.

Drain well and pat dry.

Blend the mint with vegetable oil and olive oil very finely for several minutes.

Strain the oil through a fine sieve or cheesecloth.

Keep cool until serving.

Sheep cheese cream

Blend sheep cheese with crème fraîche and some cream until smooth.

Add the cream gradually until a smooth, pipeable cream is achieved.

Season with a little lemon zest and white pepper.

If the sheep cheese is strongly salted, no additional salt is needed.

Plating in Plunhof style

Place some sheep cheese cream in small dollops in the center of a deep white plate.

Loosely distribute some young peas and small pieces of sheep cheese in between.

Garnish with mint leaves and pea shoots.

Add a few drops of mint oil.

Carefully pour the hot pea cream soup around.

For an especially elegant presentation, you can serve the prepared garnish and pour the soup at the table.

Tips from the professional

• For an intense green color, blanch the peas only briefly and immediately cool them in ice water.
• Do not cook the blended soup for long. Too much heat quickly dulls the green color.
• Blend the soup for at least 1 minute at high speed. This results in an especially fine consistency.
• Pass the soup through a fine sieve afterward. This makes a noticeable difference in this dish.
• Use the mint sparingly. It should accompany the peas, not overpower them.
• A mild sheep cheese is better suited than a very salty, long-aged cheese.
• Add the lemon juice only at the end. The slight acidity enhances the flavor of the peas.
• Shortly before serving, blend in a little cold butter again. This gives the soup shine and a velvety consistency.
• If the soup is too thick, dilute it with some hot vegetable stock. Do not use plain water, as this will cause a loss of flavor.

Preparation and storage

You can prepare the soup base several hours in advance.

For the best color, keep the blanched peas separate and blend them only shortly before serving with the hot soup base.

You can also prepare the sheep cheese cream and the mint oil the day before and store them chilled.

The freshly blended soup tastes best when freshly prepared.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use frozen peas?

Yes. Young frozen peas work very well. They have a consistent sweetness and an intense green color.

How do I keep the pea cream soup nice and green?

Blanch the peas only briefly and immediately shock them in ice water. Blend them only shortly before serving with the hot soup base and avoid prolonged reheating.

Can I prepare the soup the day before?

You can prepare the base the day before. For a strong green color, however, you should blend the peas only shortly before serving.

Which sheep cheese is best suited?

Use a mild, creamy sheep cheese. It should add seasoning and slight acidity to the soup without overpowering the flavor of the peas.

Can I use feta?

Yes. Feta also works. Since it usually tastes stronger and saltier, you should use it sparingly.

Can I prepare the soup without cream?

Yes. Replace the cream with some additional vegetable stock. Blend in a little more cold butter at the end so the soup remains creamy.

Which toppings go well with pea cream soup?

Seared scallops, shrimp, crispy bacon, a poached quail egg, or small potato cubes go very well.

For this version, I would keep the topping deliberately simple: sheep cheese, young peas, mint, and mint oil.

Menu description

Pea cream soup
Mint – sheep cheese – young pea – mint oil

Fine pea cream soup with fresh mint, creamy consistency, and flavorful sheep cheese. Ideal as a light starter or for a vegetarian menu.