Creamy Artichoke Soup with Crème Fraîche

I have the creamiest, dreamiest artichoke soup to share with you today.  It’s so insanely smooth and luscious, that you almost have to pair it with something super crunchy as a side dish or main course just to remind yourself that you have teeth! The best part about this recipe is that you can make it all year-round because canned artichokes are the star.  Of course, you could use fresh artichokes when they’re in season and go through all the time and work of breaking them down, but I’ll save that for when I’m making a whole roasted artichoke or something along those lines.  Canned artichokes are easily available and, to be quite frank, freaking delicious!

It starts with sweating some onion and garlic together as the flavoring base; add some white wine and vegetable stock along with the canned artichokes and let all those things cook away until they’re tender enough to purée into a completely smooth soup.  Return to the pot, add a smidge (okay, a lot) of cream and some crème fraîche for tang and richness.  Simmer to meld all the flavors and your soup is done!

I like to garnish with some lemon wedges, chives, a crème fraîche drizzle, and few extra grilled artichoke hearts, which you can purchase or do yourself in a hot cast-iron skillet or grill pan (which is what I did).  Just grill until there’s some char and the artichokes are heated through.  Some homemade fried croutons are really all this soup needs to send it over the top-and give it a crunch factor. I’m really just here for the garnishes, because more is more.This soup is a light vegetarian option when you need a warm, comforting soup that doesn’t feel too heavy-despite all the cream and crème fraîche, this soup still feels ethereally light.  Plus, you can skip the croutons to make this a gluten-free soup option.  Serve with lots of crisp white wine (always) to cut through the creaminess of the soup and call it done!

Creamy Artichoke Soup with Crème Fraîche

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• Author: Amanda
• Yield: 4 to 6 servings

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Description

This light yet creamy artichoke soup is the perfect year-round soup-it takes advantage of canned artichoke hearts and some other pantry and refrigerator staples to make a warm, comforting vegetarian side dish!

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Ingredients

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• Olive oil, as needed
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 small sweet onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Two 14-ounce cans artichoke hearts in water, drained and coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup crème fraîche
• 1 baguette, cut into small, bite-sized cubes
• Grilled artichoke hearts, for garnish, if desired
• Crème fraîche thinned with a little cream until drizzleable, if desired
• Finely chopped fresh chives, for garnish
• Lemon wedges, for serving

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Instructions

1. Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat and add a little olive oil and the 1 tablespoon of butter.  Add the onions and a pinch of salt, and sauté until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant.  Add the chopped artichokes and cook for another 5 minutes.
2. Add the dry white wine and allow the liquid to reduce for about 2 minutes, until almost no liquid remains.  Stir in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer until the artichokes are meltingly tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.  Carefully transfer the soup to a blender, cover with the lid and a dish towel covering the pour spout and blend for 1 to 2 minutes on high, until completely smooth.  Return the mixture to the pot.  You can strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve if you want to be sure the soup is smooth (or don’t have a high-powered blender), but that’s completely optional.
3. Add the cream and crème fraîche and stir to combine.  Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the soup has thickened.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. In the meantime, preheat a large skillet over medium heat and add a few tablespoons of olive oil.  Once hot, add the bread cubes and toast until golden and crisp.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Serve the soup with a drizzle of thinned crème fraîche, grilled artichoke hearts, if desired, toasted bread cubes, chives and lemon wedges.

Notes

Inspiration: Creamy Artichoke Soup on howsweeteats.com and Duarte’s Cream of Artichoke Soup on saveur.com

• Category: Soups/Stews, Vegetarian