Velouté de PotironClassic Pumpkin Velouté

Prepare the pumpkin, aromatics and measured ingredients

• 1 Remove the pumpkin’s skin, seeds and fibres and cut a net 700 g into even 3 cm cubes.
• 2 Halve 120 g white Japanese long onion lengthwise, rinse between its layers under running water and slice across at 5 mm intervals.
• 3 Slice 80 g onion across the grain to 2 mm thick.
• 4 Tie 2 thyme sprigs and 1 bay leaf with kitchen string into a bouquet garni.
• 5 Divide 150 ml thick crème fraîche into 120 ml in a bowl and 30 ml in a small dish.
• 6 Divide 60 g unsalted butter into 25 g for sweating and the roux, 20 g for monter au beurre, the emulsifying finish with cold butter, and 15 g for croutons.
• 7 Cut the 20 g finishing butter into 1.5 cm cubes, spread on a plate and refrigerate.
• 8 Sift 20 g flour through a tea strainer onto a small plate.

Sweat the onions without colouring

• 1 Melt the 25 g butter for sweating and the roux in a heavy pot over low heat until gently foaming.
• 2 Add the long onion and onion, sprinkle with 2 g salt and coat with butter using a wooden spoon.
• 3 Lay baking paper over the vegetables, fitting it against the sides of the pot, and sweat over low heat for 10–12 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes.

Make a blond roux and add the stock

• 1 Keeping the heat low, sprinkle 20 g sifted flour over the pot and stir with a wooden spoon until no dry flour remains.
• 2 Cook for 2–3 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly, until the roux is blond, a pale straw colour.
• 3 First pour in 200 ml of the 700 ml chicken stock, whisking briskly until smooth.
• 4 Add the remaining 500 ml stock in 2 additions, whisking until even each time.

Simmer the pumpkin and fry the croutons

• 1 MeanwhileWhile it simmers, remove the crusts from 2 bread slices and cut into 1 cm cubes. Melt the 15 g crouton butter in a frying pan over medium heat, fry the cubes for 3–4 minutes, shaking constantly until golden, and transfer to kitchen paper.
• 2 Add 700 g diced pumpkin and the bouquet garni to the pot and stir once with a wooden spoon.
• 3 Bring to a boil over medium heat in about 5 minutes, then carefully skim the surface with a ladle for about 2 minutes.
• 4 Cover with the lid slightly ajar and simmer over low heat for 25 minutes, stirring from the bottom every 5 minutes.

Strain for a velvety texture

• 1 Remove the bouquet garni with tongs and discard.
• 2 Transfer the contents, about 1.5 L in total, to a blender in 2–3 batches and blend each on high for 1 minute until smooth.
• 3 Pour the purée into a chinois, a fine conical sieve, and press through into another pot with a wooden spoon.
• 4 Scrape out and discard the fibres left inside the sieve, and scrape the purée from its outside into the pot.

Bind with the egg-yolk and cream liaison

• 1 Whisk 3 egg yolks and the reserved 120 ml crème fraîche in a bowl until uniform to make the liaison, an egg-and-cream thickener.
• 2 Warm the strained velouté over low heat until just before small bubbles form at the edge; do not boil.
• 3 Gradually whisk 3 ladles of hot velouté into the liaison, 1 ladle at a time, to equalise the temperature.
• 4 Return the warmed liaison to the pot and cook over low heat for 3–4 minutes, maintaining a thin wisp of steam and stirring constantly with a wooden spoon in a figure of 8.

Mount with butter and season with nutmeg

• 1 Turn off the heat and add the chilled 20 g butter in 3 additions, gently swirling the pot and stirring with a wooden spoon to melt it in.
• 2 Add the remaining 4 g salt in 2 g additions, tasting as you go, then grind in 1/2 tsp white pepper.
• 3 Grate in 1/4 tsp nutmeg and stir gently.

Marble with cream and serve croutons separately

• 1 Pour boiling water into 6 deep plates and leave for 2 minutes, then discard the water and dry with a cloth.
• 2 Divide the velouté evenly among the warm plates and turn them gently to level the surface.
• 3 Divide the reserved 30 ml crème fraîche into dots over the plates and draw swirls with a skewer tip to create marbling.
• 4 Place the croutons in a small bowl and serve alongside.