A magic soup just for you

My poor non-French people,

I guess you all know now that "French women don't get fat".

Mireille Guiliano, who I was lucky to meet a few years ago and interview her for a profile of her I directed for French TV, has explained to the whole world the basics of the French and perfect silhouette: eat everything, not too much, enjoy it but pay attention, and when you've forgotten all the rules, try and detox with a good leeks soup.

She's totally right, of course, but I prefer another magic soup...

La soupe de Cresson comme à la maison

Ingrédients

2 bunches of Watercress

2 cups chicken broth

Pepper

Salt

and some Creme Fraiche...







One of the best surprise when I arrived in LA was to find upland-cress so easily at the market.

It's actually quite rare in Paris, only in season and in some very specialised primeurs (fresh vegetables grocery shops).

But my mom would often cook it when I was a kid : in Sologne, where my village is, the land is very wet in some parts, and you could sometime find some fresh one while walking in the woods.

Cresson is so full of flavors, you would almost forget that it's very good for your diet, and for your health.
The Romans thought it was a good way to prevent baldness, the Greek imagined it was a good detox after a big hangover... 

Now the scientists have discovered a new incredible benefit: it is full of isothiocyanates, a good prevention against cancer, and mostly lung cancer I understand.

My uncle Bernard loved to use it in a salad in his restaurant, but I prefer it in a soup.This one is great to get comfort and energy at the end of a long day.

And the taste of the cresson?

I've spent the last three days trying to define it, and am still wordless.

So let me quote my boyfriend on that: "subtle, a bit astringent, it's kind of like a time bomb... Gosh, I don't know, why don't you cook some more so I can taste it again ?"

La recette

Put the chicken broth to a boil.

Wash the upland cress, cut it in half and plunge it in the broth.

Let it simmer for 20 minutes.
Put the leaves in the blender and mince them.


Then mix with the chicken broth


Add salt, pepper, and at the very end, add the touch of paradise: a tablespoon of creme fraiche...


(it's hard to find a good one here, so I use Crema Mexicana, which is very easy to find in the supermarket)

C'est tout!

Bon appétit les amis!