Cream of Chicken Soup

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 to 2 leeks (white part only), sliced very finely
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
1 1/4 cups milk
2 bay leaves
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 pound chicken breast or thigh meat, sliced
1 tablespoon flour
Pinch of salt
Pinch of ground mace
1 egg yolk
3-4 tablespoons heavy cream

Put 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt it, and in it cook the leeks gently until soft.  Meanwhile, put the stock and milk in another saucepan with the bay leaves, garlic, and chicken.  Bring to the boil, turn down the heat, and simmer until the chicken is just tender.  

When the leeks are soft, stir the flour into the leek mixture and cook on low heat, stirring, for a few minutes.  Remove the chicken from the saucepan and set aside.  Pour the milk mixture onto the floury leeks, stirring.  Bring to just below the boil, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile, shred or finely chop the chicken.  Add the chicken to the leek and milk mixture, and then add salt and mace.  Continue cooking over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.  Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.  If the soup appears to be getting too thick, add additional milk as necessary to thin.  

Using a blender or hand blender, puree the soup.  Rinse out the saucepan, then push the pureed soup through a strainer back into the pan.  Put back on the heat, stirring until hot.  Mix the egg yolk and cream together, and, with the pan off the heat, stir into the soup.


Serves 2.

From How to Eat by Nigella Lawson