LA VALAISANNE (ALPINE TOMATO AND CHEESE SOUP)
SOURCE: MADELEINE KAMMAN. IN MADELEINE’S KITCHEN.
Very little information is known about this alpine tomato and cheese soup named after the Swiss canton. Madeleine Kamman claims to have discovered it sometime between 1972 and 1983 during an autumn mountain retreat within the vicinity of the Trient Glacier in western Valais.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons/45 grams unsalted butter
4 cups/200 grams chopped onions
1 1/2 teaspoons/4 grams garlic
1 1/3 cups/120 grams chopped leeks
2 tablespoons/30 grams flour
Salt to taste
4 1/2 cups/900 grams ripe plum tomates, peeled, seeded, juiced, and chopped OR 3 1/2 cups/800 grams canned Italian plum tomatoes, preferably San Marzano, chopped
10 sprigs parsley, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results
2 sprigs thyme, preferably picked fresh on the same day for best results
1 medium-sized bay leaf
1/2 cup/120 mL dry white wine
7 cups/1800 mL water
1 teaspoon/3 grams beef OR chicken bouillon cube
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Garnish
1/2 cup/50 grams freshly grated Gruyère cheese
2/3 cup/160 mL heavy cream, lightly whipped to soft peaks
Coarsely cracked black pepper
Specific Equipment
Medium-sized stockpot with a capacity of about 5 quarts/5 L
Trussing string
Mixing bowl
Serves 6
Instructions
1. Melt the butter in a stockpot over moderate heat. Sauté in the onions, garlic, and leeks for 5 minutes or until soft and translucent but not brown. Stir in the flour and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt. Toss in the tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes.
2. Tie the parsley, thyme, and bay leaf altogether with a trussing string and drop into the stockpot. Pour in the white wine and water and bring to a boil. Stir in the chicken or beef bouillon cube and a dash pepper and bring to a second boil. Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 45 minutes.
3. Fold the Gruyère cheese into the cream and season with coarsely cracked pepper according to taste.
4. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls. Spoon a large dollop of the cheese and cream garnish over the soup before serving.
